All Keyed Up
by OMECoven
Summary: Edward and the gang are college age and heading to Key West for summer jobs. Laughs and romance abound. Rated M for adult situations/lemonade, AH, some OOC moments, canon pairing. Short prologue but give it a chance, enjoy, R&R.
1. Prologue

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Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story, we hold no rights to them otherwise.

**ALL KEYED UP **

PROLOGUE

**BPOV**

Ah, freedom! Free of the mundane life that is high school. Finally free of the confines of "Barbieville," who is screwing who, who is wearing what, who is popular and who ISN'T acknowledging Bella Swan. I'm Bella Swan, an 18 year old girl with no endearing qualities what so ever. My proof? Well, I have dull brown eyes, flat brown hair and a 5'4" tomboy's body with absolutely no curves in sight. The quintessential "plain Jane." I just graduated high school and in less than two months I will be on my way to college to start a new chapter of my life. I am excited about college, excited to get out of the suburbs and attend one of the top-ranked public universities in the world; University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

I've been told that I don't know how to have fun and be a teenager but the mainstream idea of fun in the downriver 'burbs of Detroit is just not in my nature. I'm a quiet, reclusive girl who would prefer a Jane Austen novel and a cup of chamomile tea to keggers and meaningless sex. My brother Emmett keeps telling me to let loose and live a little but that's easy to say coming from a muscle bound GQ model who only has to flash a smile to get what or who he wants. Let's just say my brother and I are like night and day, the breaking dawn and twilight. I do love my brother, he's a teddy bear once you get to know him but his over protectiveness sometimes reminds me more of an irritable grizzly.

My brother just completed his freshman year at UM and is headed south to his summer job. Last year he and his best friend Jasper worked in Key West, FL and had so much fun they decided to go back again this summer. Being the persuasive brother he is; I was coerced, no strong-armed rather, into spending my summer along with him to, as he puts it, "be a teenager for once and see the world." I can deny my brother nothing so I agreed…maybe a little fun in the sunshine state wouldn't be so bad.

**_A/N: Well, what do you think? Is this enough to pique your interest? Thank you for reading our wee little prologue. Chapter 1 is up...please read and enjoy and if you'd like, review. _**


	2. Deals and Albinos

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story, we hold no rights to them otherwise.**

_Previously: _

"I can deny my brother nothing so I agreed…maybe a little fun in the sunshine state wouldn't be so bad."

**EMPOV**

Okay, time to let loose and live a little, or live a lot. I so look forward to summer break! Life here at UM has been crazy this year trying to keep up with 15 credit hours, endless baseball practices, games and the search for the ultimate tailgating party. The good thing is I at least made it through the first year. Our baseball team ended up winning the Big Ten Tournament. We rocked! Thank goodness for sports scholarships because my grades are average. Too bad they don't grade you on your looks; I would so get an A+.

"Hey Jazz, you better make sure your sister is packed and ready so you make it to the airport on time. I have to pick up Bella and we will meet you there."

Jasper Hale, my best bud and roomie, is on the UM baseball team with me. We met each other last summer in Key West, Florida while we were working at Atlantic Eclipse Charters. It is the best summer job ever. Ocean waves, hot sun, and hot babes on a beach!

How can you possibly call that work? Carlisle and Esme Cullen, the owners, asked us to come back down this summer and we said yes before they even finished asking. They also asked if we knew of any one else that would be interested in working for them this summer as their shop had grown and they expanded their services. I of course, immediately thought of my little sister and Jasper his.

"Emmett, are you sure Bella is up to the excitement? She seems like she would be a bit out of place with the beach party scene." Jasper is good at reading people.

"She'll be fine. She actually agreed to try and let loose. Besides, she needs to see more than just Michigan before she starts at UM." And that is exactly what I tried to explain to her.

"Well, do you think you will be able to adjust to seeing her "relax?" You are a bit overprotective and you know how some of the guys can be down there." Like I said, Jasper knows how to read people.

"I guess we will see how it goes but those one-nighter, drunken party dudes…..Oh Hell No!"

"Um Emmett, when you're not working, you're one of those dudes man." Jasper also has a way of pointing things out. I guess I do need to be a little bit of a better example now that my baby sis will be around.

"Okay, here's the deal," I started, "I am going to be way different than I was last summer. This year I am going to look for a keeper. A girl I can really get to know, and be exclusive with. How's that?" I asked him with the most sincere look on my face.

"Are you serious? You would need to be more like me to make that happen!" Jazz seemed stunned but willing to take me up on the deal. He was a romantic. Sure, he dated a few girls but has been looking for that one and only ever since I met him. He would not give up his heart until he met her. "Okay Emmett, no one-nighters. You have to be more serious from now on."

"Deal!" I agreed. I will try to stay away from the "Barbies" and look for a possible keeper instead. This is going to be hard.

Jasper was already on the phone, "Are you ready yet Rose? You have an hour 'til we pack the car, then we can get some lunch on the way to the airport. Yes, Emmett is picking up Bella and meeting us there for our flight. Okay, uh-huh, yes, just don't freak her out please, okay see ya."

"What's up?" I asked. "Is Rose over packing for her 1st trip to the Keys?" Jasper always complains that his sister has to go shopping before every new trip they take.

"She is super excited to be working in Florida for the summer, and not stuck working on campus like last year. Lots of "Hot Guys" as she put it. She is also looking forward to being a big sister to Bella. I guess they hit it off pretty well when Bella was here for Spring Break."

Rosalie and Jasper are twins; tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, and confident. Rose is in a different dorm at UM and does her own thing. Sometimes she and Jasper will hang out together; she seems okay. I have usually been busy with other things when she was around, so I only really spent any time around her when Bella was here. Rose is actually quite beautiful, stunning is a better word. I did notice that, but as a rule, I've never let myself be interested in any of my friend's sisters. It can tend to make things uncomfortable especially if things don't work out.

"Well Jasper, if I don't leave now Bella will think I forgot to pick her up. We will see you at the airport." I have a feeling this will be one very memorable summer.

**BPOV**

I was pretty sure that I had everything packed that I would need. It's not like my wardrobe was so big that I had a hard time deciding what to bring. I basically dumped my whole dresser into a suitcase, and it fit without a problem. Shorts, shirts, a bathing suit, jeans, pajamas, tennis shoes, flip flops, and one nice pair of dress shoes to wear with my khaki skirt. I was wearing my favorite jeans and a dark blue blouse for the plane ride. Emmett should be here any minute.

Just then the door bursts open and sure enough, here he is. The boy is always on time, I have to give him credit for that. "Hey Bells, are you ready for the best summer of your life?"

"If you say so," I replied rather shyly.

"Trust me, you'll have fun. Just remember to let loose and enjoy yourself. One thing's for sure, you could definitely use some sun!" Emmett gave me that evil grin.

"Hey, you have a problem with having an albino sister?" this was a constant joke between us. He seemed to always tan so easily.

"No Sis, not at all. It sure makes it a lot easier to find you in a crowd."

Now that comment gave him the reaction he was looking for. I ran across the room, jumped on his back, and started punching him in the arm. A lot of good that did me, I don't think he could even feel it. He was laughing too much to know for sure.

"Okay, okay we need to get going," he managed to get out.

I jumped down and went to gather my bags. "Mom said to make sure we leave a message when we get there, so don't forget" Even though I am sure I will be the one to remember and call.

"Well of course we will." Emmett answered.

We loaded up and climbed in his jeep. A quick stop for food and we were on to the airport. Ready or not, I had a feeling my life was about to change.

**_A/N: Next chapter we meet Edward and Alice. Thank you again for reading our story; we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy writing it. _**


	3. You forgot the kitchen sink

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story; we hold no rights to them otherwise.**

_Previously: _

"_We loaded up and climbed in his jeep. A quick stop for food and we were on to the airport. Ready or not, I had a feeling my life was about to change. "_

**EPOV**

I just graduated and high school was finally over, not that I mind much. I didn't really feel like I ever fit in. There were the standard clicks, the weekend parties and the ever present group of, how do I put this delicately, girls that were always "willing and able" but none of that ever appealed to me. Edward, that's me, was always perceived as a bit arrogant. And why? Simply because I'd rather listen to my IPod than to people prattle on about asinine subjects. I usually kept to myself and the only interaction I had with any one else was with the baseball team or my sister Alice.

Ah, my pixie-like sister Alice. Alice and I are the same age, 18, and are step-siblings but I think of her as if she was my biological sister. Our parents married when we were very young and even though we are the same age I've taken on the visage of "older brother." When I call her pixie-like, I mean like a pixie. She's about 5' with spiky black hair, the bluest of eyes and a feisty, vivacious personality that would make a woodland sprite envious. No one should EVER give Alice caffeine OR deny her shopping.

Now the two of us were ready for the next step, college. Alice and I were both accepted to the University of Michigan starting in the fall. I was lucky enough to receive an athletic scholarship and was actually looking forward to playing baseball at UM. They just won the Big Ten Tournament! I knew my major would have something to do with music but I was a bit apprehensive that baseball would impede my studies. I have time to worry about that later though. Right now, I'm looking forward to two long months in the Florida sun. My Dad's old college roommate owns a shop down in Key West and asked him if he thought Alice and I would be interested in working for him this summer. I saw it as an opportunity to see a bit more of the country and maybe finally be inspired enough to finish a composition that had stumped me. Alice of course only saw the shopping possibilities and of course, boys!

I had finished packing for our trip and went to check on my sister. I walked into her room and stopped dead in my tracks; it looked like the local mall exploded and every bit of the fallout landed in her room. We were NEVER going to make it to the airport on time at this rate.

"Aliiiiicccceeeee!!" I whined at my sister.

"What?" She snapped back without turning around from her closet.

"How much do you need to pack? You can't possibly think you'll have time to wear all of this. If you don't hurry up, we'll be hitchhiking to Florida" I chided.

At that, she spun around hands on her hips and glared at me. I have to admit, I was a bit frightened. "Edward, you are so impossibly clueless sometimes. Of COURSE, I'll have time to wear all of this. In fact, I may need to hit the mall on the way to the airport. I only have 6 swimsuits." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Only six? Heaven forbid you don't have one for each day of the week." I said as sarcastically as I could. She just stuck her tongue out at me and continued to pack her clothes, now using my suitcase. How the hell did my suitcase get in her room?

"Alice, don't you dare think about removing anything I've packed. It's not my fault you've used your allotment of 5 suitcases. I have one lonely suitcase and I don't want your Calvin Hilfiger stuff giving my clothes designer cooties." I teased.

"Edward, it's not my fault you won't embrace the loveliness of designer clothes. Lord knows, I try to dress you as best I can but button-up shirts and jeans don't have to be your every day outfit." She lectured while multitasking.

I stood there scratching my head; certainly she remembers that she's the one who bought those button-up shirts and jeans. The last time I checked there was a designer name on my ass, much to my dismay. If I didn't let her select my outfit in the morning I would pay for it all day and no one, I repeat no one, wants an irritable pixie on their hands. When it came to Alice, I learned to just let her have her way. It really was less painful for every one in the long run.

"Fine Alice, you can use as much of my suitcase as you can possibly fill WITHOUT removing anything of mine. Okay? Now will you please hurry up?" I pleaded.

"K! Thank you Edward! You really are the best brother in the whole wide world! Now about these Birkenstocks, you aren't really going to bring them are you? I mean, they're fine for California I guess but the Keys? That would be a major fashion faux pas dear brother. We'll pick up a pair or Reef flip flops for you at the mall." She stated while scrunching her nose at the "non designer" items in my suitcase. After what seemed like an eternity, half my suitcase was emptied of the offending non designer, fashion faux pas with a promise to be replaced by Alice's hand picked, brand name items. I guess I would have to get used to having some guy's name on my ass all summer.

I pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger willing her to move at super human speed. If she didn't hurry up we would not be making a pit stop at the mall. On second thought, maybe I should accidentally dump the contents of two of her suitcases…hmmm, that should buy me some time and save me a trip to the mall.

"All done!" She declared snapping me out of my reverie.

Damn! "It took you long enough!" I sighed.

I grabbed our suitcases needing to make three trips thanks to Alice packing her entire wardrobe and some how managed to stuff them all into the back of my Volvo. We said goodbye to the parental units and were on our way. We actually were making good time; I learned long ago if you wanted Alice ready by 7 you told her 5:30.

After an hour at the mall which seemed like an eternity and about a dozen bags we were on the way to the airport. I was looking forward to being able to finally sit down and relax. Trying to get Alice out of the house at a reasonable time really frazzled my nerves a bit. We stepped up to the counter to check in and of course were charged an exorbitant amount for "additional bags."

"Only when you travel with Alice." I mumbled.

**APOV**

Wow, my brother can be such a fusspot sometimes. If he would stop and consider the time he was taking away from my packing with his nagging, we would have been able to leave the house sooner. He's lucky I love him but he _really _needs something to help him unwind. He's wound up tighter than a coil and if he doesn't relax soon he'll end up burning the wick of a stick of dynamite at both ends come college.

We checked in and found ourselves a seat while we waited to board.

I looked over at Edward and he looked so peaceful but I knew that was a façade. His music does calm him at times but you can't go 24/7 with IPod buds in your ears.

Think Alice, what does Edward need? What would help him unwind?

"AHA!" I accidentally yelled out loud.

"WHAT!?" Edward yelped as he jumped out of his seat. Apparently even with his IPod blaring he still heard me.

"Oh, nothing." I murmured while smiling shyly. Edward went back to his IPod and closed his eyes not without giving me a quizzical but knowing look first.

I decided that it was time for Edward to spice up his life and live a little; and by life I meant his love life. Edward never really had a girlfriend in high school. It's not that the girls didn't like him, quite the contrary. Girls practically threw themselves at him and rightfully so. My brother is quite the looker. He's about 6' with bronze unruly hair that won't do a damn thing but look completely disheveled no matter what you do to it , green eyes and the girls seem to like his bod by the way they drool over it. Edward however, just didn't pay any attention to it. He would occasionally flirt but that usually only happened when he was with the baseball team. Other than that Edward was more into his music, baseball and schoolwork.

I must have had a very serious look on my face and it didn't help that I had my index finger up to my temple looking like I was contemplating something because it was enough for Edward to notice. He waved his hand in front of my face knocking me out of my deliberation.

"Alice…..what are you thinking? You usually only look like that when you are up to no good." Edward asked with a grin.

Damn, he's better than Inspector Clouseau. How do I put this delicately without actually laying my plan out there?

"I was thinking dear brother that you should really try and let loose this summer. You know, live a little and maybeenjoythefinerqualitiesoftheoppositesex." I admitted with the biggest smile I could muster, jumbling the words together to make him have to think about what I just said.

He blinked several times with a look of confusion on his face and I knew he was trying to comprehend that last bit. However he said nothing, opting to look at me with a blank expression that slowly melted into a mischievous grin. We sat there in silence for what seemed like ages until I could bear no more of his silent treatment. I sighed heavily and crossed my arms across my chest.

"What's wrong now Alice?" He questioned with a hint of amusement in his voice.

I looked at him and gave my best pout slash puppy dog eye combo.

He sighed and finally acquiesced. "Fine Alice, I promise I will try and let loose and live a little as you put it. Happy?"

"Immensely!" I squealed as I clapped and bounced in my seat.

This was going to be a good summer and I had a feeling big things were around the corner for Edward and I.

**EPOV**

After Alice's little rant I felt like I needed a drink. I mean, I know how to have fun. Don't I?

I turned my IPod on and slid down the chair a bit so I could rest my head. As I closed my eyes I kept thinking back to what Alice said and something in my mind kept telling me that maybe she was right. Maybe I just needed to let loose and actually try and enjoy myself this summer. That's when I decided that I was going to take Alice's advice. "Having fun" was exactly what I intended on doing. I have a feeling this will be a summer I'll never forget.

**_A/N: And now we have been introduced to Edward and Alice. _**

**_We hope you enjoy the story and do apologise for the slow build-up but we do promise it will be worth it in the end. If you like it, let us know...reviews are greatly appreciated. _**

**_Next chapter will be up Sunday. The flight!_**


	4. Head in the Clouds

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story; we hold no rights to them otherwise.**

_Previously: _

"That's when I decided that I was going to take Alice's advice. "Having fun" was exactly what I intended on doing. I have a feeling this will be a summer I'll never forget."

**JPOV**

"Come on Rose, do you always have to check out the gift shops? I doubt there's room to fit anything else in your carry-on bag and the suitcases are already checked in." I was so glad that even though we were twins, we had our own personalities and interests. I would hate to walk past a store and feel an overwhelming need to go inside just because there was a _SALE_ sign in the window.

"Oh you silly boy, you know I like to have a magazine to look at on the plane. I've already read all the ones I have at home. EW is supposed to have a good pic from that vampire movie that is due out in December. I just have to have it!" Rosalie had a look of obsession in her eyes like I had never seen before. _Like a vampire movie could really get someone that excited, Geez_! Well, I was not going to challenge her.

"Fine, feed your vampire obsession. Just hurry up please, Emmett and Bella are probably waiting by the gate and we start boarding in 10 minutes."

I was just about to turn when an arm wrapped around my neck and put me in a headlock. "Emmett, what the hell, let loose man!" I managed to choke out the words as he laughed uncontrollably. I freed myself and turned around noticing Bella rolling her eyes with a smile.

"Hi Bella. Rose just went in the gift shop for a magazine." I liked Bella. She was so quiet and contained compared to her brother's loud, easy going, life of the party personality. If Emmett has his way, by the end of this summer, she will be a bit more like him. How much like him and how far he allows her to take it remains to be seen and that is something I have got to see.

"Hi Jasper, I think Rose is finished shopping, here she comes now." Bella smiled shyly while pointing behind me.

"Okay, I'm ready. Are you happy now Jazz? Oh hey Bella, I have a magazine you've got to see. Why are you guys just standing around? Do you think we have all day! We have a plane to catch and I think we better run for it so try to keep up. Unless you two boys can't move fast enough and need a kick in the ass for motivation." Rose barely stopped walking as she said this. She was glancing at the flight board and we needed to hurry.

I turned to make sure Emmett was paying attention and noticed his jaw hanging open as he stared at Rosalie. "Emmett, Earth to Emmett!"

"Sorry dude, I have never seen your sister so in control and demanding. Excuse the comment, but it's kind of _hot _when a girl gets like that." He continued to keep his eyes on her as we followed the girls to our gate. _I guess he has never really spent much time around Rose at school. He is in for a real treat if he likes that kind of girl. He has absolutely no idea how Rose can get, I just may have to let him find out for himself_. A big smile spread across my face.

Luckily our gate was just down at the end of the hallway and we could hear them announce the boarding of first class passengers.

**EPOV**

_Now boarding First Class passengers for Delta Flight 1819, Detroit to Atlanta. _

"That's us Alice. Do you have everything? Carry-on, handbag, boarding pass?" Alice may remember to pack everything but the kitchen sink when it comes to her wardrobe but when it comes down to the important necessities such as a passport, she lacks common sense.

"Yes, _Eddie_, I have everything." She purposely exaggerated the juvenile nickname that she knew irked me to the very core.

"Please don't call me that Alice, you know I hate that nickname." I replied through clenched teeth.

"For someone who promised to lighten up you're doing a splendid job _Edward_. Geez, you're so persnickety. Now let's get on this plane and get this summer started."

We boarded the plane and took our seats, 3C and 3D. Alice automatically took the window seat so I could put her carry-on in the overhead compartment. I sat down and she automatically started in on what she had planned for us this summer; Alice is the consummate planner. She had curled her feet under her and still managed to bounce up and down. Was that latte caffeinated?

**JPOV**

_Now boarding rows 15-38 for Delta Flight 1819, Detroit to Atlanta_

We made it to the doors just in time; first class had already boarded and they were now calling the back row passengers. Now we just had to get all the way down that skinny aisle to row 38.

I thought leading the way would be a good thing but when your sister is following you down a narrow passageway wearing 4" heels and carrying her carry-on bag and purse only bad things could happen.

"Jasper, I'm stuck." I turned at the wrong moment. Rose made a nice hard tug on her bag that was wedged against the seat next to her. Just as the bag let loose, the momentum sent her flying forward into me. I was only able to catch a quick look at Emmett reaching to save Rose from falling as her bag catapulted into my face.

"Dammit Rose!" I yelled while rubbing the left side of my face. I was just lucky that Emmett was able to grab her before she landed on me too.

"Well get the hell out of the way! I don't know why they make these aisles so small."

**EPOV**

Alice continued to prattle on but I was paying more attention to what was outside the window than to my sister. I must have been daydreaming because I hadn't noticed the coach passengers boarding until I heard a man's voice yell out an expletive.

_Dammit Rose! _

_Well get the hell out of the way, I don't know why they make these aisles so small anyways!_

I looked up to my left to see where it came from and that's when I saw her. She was staring straight ahead at the people in front of her with a smirk on her face. She was beautiful; no, that word didn't do her justice. She had shiny, brown hair that curled at the ends and full, kissable lips.

I hadn't realized I was staring until she turned her gaze in my direction and our eyes met for a brief moment. Her eyes were a chocolate brown that could see deep into my soul. Her cheeks flushed the faintest tinge of pink and I felt this indescribable urge to touch her. We both quickly averted our eyes elsewhere; I opted for the back of the seat in front of me and tried to cool the blush that crept up onto my own cheeks.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her continue towards the back of the plane. As she walked by she caused a breeze and the scent of strawberries filled my lungs. It was the sweetest scent I had ever smelled.

As I turned back to Alice I noticed she was no longer talking, in fact she was staring at me with an incredulous look.

"I'm sorry, you were saying Alice." I felt it best to apologize for zoning out on her rather than face the Spanish inquisition for getting caught staring by her as well.

She opened her mouth to say something only to close it shut. I assumed she wouldn't let it go but was surprised when she opened her Vogue magazine instead.

I turned on my Ipod and rest my head back. I tried to close my eyes but I kept envisioning the brown eyed angel whom was a mere 15-20 rows behind me. _Who was that girl? _This was going to be a long two hours.

**BPOV**

Crap! We just made a scene and of course we would be standing right near the front of the plane, talk about embarrassing. I tried to keep looking straight ahead but I couldn't keep the smirk off my face. Yes, I am with these people but please don't hold it against me. It was hard not to laugh seeing Jasper half on the floor with a bag on top of him and Rose blaming it all on lack of room instead of the fact that her bag was overstuffed. They gathered up the mess and started to move.

I had a feeling I was being watched so I turned my head down and to the left and confirmed my suspicions. Green eyes the color of emeralds under a head full of unruly, bronze hair were looking right at me. I felt like my heart just stopped for that brief moment and I knew I had to be blushing. _Move, Bella everyone else is half way to their seats, you look like a zombie_. I turned my gaze away quickly and made my way down the aisle. I threw my bag in the compartment and collapsed, literally, into my seat.

_Holy crow, what the hell just happened_? _Who was that guy?_ _Did he just dazzle me?_

**EMPOV**

"Bella, are you okay? You look really pale, I mean more than usual." I was a bit concerned, maybe she was just nervous about the flight.

"I'm okay, just nervous about the flight." She replied and started talking to Rose. Once we took off they spent the rest of the flight looking through Rose's magazine and giggling about who knows what. I guess she's feeling better now. Jasper and I took advantage of the quiet time and got a bit of sleep.

As soon as I started dozing off images of a blonde haired beauty fluttered through my mind. Her hands were on her hips and she was giving Jasper grief. _Hey wait, was I just dreaming about Rose? No freakin way!_

**EPOV**

_Ladies and Gentlemen we are beginning our descent..we ask that you return to your seats, fasten your seatbelts and place all tray tables and chairs to their upright position._

I slowly opened my eyes as the flight attendants announced our descent. Alice and I had pulled out the laptop and were watching a movie which we both fell asleep to. Napoleon Dynamite could put the dead to sleep, only Alice would select such a movie. _Gosh, Idiot!_

I put the laptop away and put the tray back up. I tickled Alice in her side to wake her up and she practically jumped out of her seat.

"Calm down Al…we're landing."

"You didn't have to tickle me _Eddie!_"

"It's the fastest way to wake you _Ally." _

"Don't call me that! I let you get by with calling me a guy's name but I draw the line at references to a flopped Calista Flockhart sitcom."

"Fine. How about a truce then? No Eddie and no Ally."

"Deal!" We shook on it but I won't be holding my breath on her keeping her end of the deal.

_Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. Welcome to Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. The sun is shining and the temperature in Atlanta is a cool 85 degrees. For those of you that are catching connecting flights our flight attendants will have your next gate information and will try and answer any questions you have. All luggage will automatically be diverted to your connecting flight. Thank you for flying Delta._

The seatbelt sign was turned off and the door opened. I stood up to get Alice's carry-on and we exited the plane. Our connecting flight was in an hour and fifteen minutes and we only had to move to the end of the hall. A part of me wanted to linger and see what direction the beautiful brunette was headed. My brain finally brought me back to reality and I realized we were in the busiest airport in the U.S., Delta's hub, so more than likely she was simply catching another connecting flight that could be going ANYWHERE.

We made it to our gate and had time to kill so we perused a magazine/book shop. Alice bought several fashion magazines, go figure, and I purchased a book by Virgil, light reading.

We went back to our gate and sat down; we had about thirty minutes until they started boarding. Alice and I would be flying coach on this leg of the trip, something to do with Key West's airport not being capable of accommodating larger planes.

I was about to turn on my Ipod when I heard a melodious voice and it was coming from directly behind me. It was at that moment when a familiar scent filled my lungs. I could smell strawberries and I had to fight the urge to turn around.

Could it be? Is it possible?

Calm down Edward, this is mere coincidence, she can't possibly be sitting behind you. I willed myself to push the idea of her actually being on the same plane out of my mind. I turned my Ipod on and started daydreaming. I was on a beach with her, it was twilight and we were walking hand in hand after watching the sunset.

_Now boarding Delta Flight 4590, Atlanta to Key West, FL._

I was snapped out of my daydream by Alice's waving hand in front of my face.

"Hey! Yoohoo. You getting on this flight or would you rather stay in Hotlanta?" She was kneeling in her chair laughing at me.

"Yes sorry, I must have been daydreaming." So much for pushing her out of my mind.

I stood up and grabbed Alice by the waist to help her down from her chair. Before I set her down she placed a sisterly kiss on my cheek. "I'm so happy we decided to take this summer job." She said very sincerely.

Alice and I boarded the plane and proceeded to our seats, 16A and 16B. Again Alice took the window seat and I stowed her carry-on above us. I took a towards the front of the plane, they weren't kidding about small planes…..damn this is tiny. I really hope we don't end up in an episode of Lost.

**JPOV**

Rose and Bella ran off giggling to get a water bottle out of one of the machines while Emmett tossed me his boarding pass so he could make a quick run to the bathroom. I bent down to get my pass out of the pocket of my bag when I thought I heard a sing song voice that was music to my ears. _You getting on this flight or…_I straightened up just in time to realize the question was not meant for me. The cutest little pixie with dark spiky hair and the most cheerful sounding voice was standing just ahead of where I was sitting.

She was kneeling on her seat and speaking to a guy; he picked her up by her waist and she kissed him. _Damn that figures. _Something about her was just so captivating I felt the urge to walk right up to her and say hello. Instead I bent back down again to find my boarding pass and when I looked back up, she was gone. I wonder where she was headed? Emmett came jogging out of the restroom just as Bella and Rose returned.

"Well guys, let's get going. At least we're at the front of the plane and _PLEASE, _no incidents during boarding this time." I stressed to Rose as she gave me her evil look. It was Emmett that froze this time as we stepped into the plane.

"Holy crap! I'm like a great white shark and you want to cram me into this sardine can! What the f….."

"Emmett," it was Rose's voice that piped in and cut him off, "quit your whining and sit your ass down."

And there it was again, Emmett's shit eating grin. I thought I had glimpsed a smirk on Rosalie's face too as we all took our seats in row 3 (A, B, C & D). We spent most of the flight talking quietly about our plans for the rest of the summer.

**BPOV**

Maybe it was the excitement of being so close to our destination, or the wishful thinking that one day I would see those gorgeous green eyes again, but the flight was already landing in Key West before we knew it. Everyone on the plane seemed to stand up at the same time. I turned around to see how full the plane was but I couldn't see past the people in the row behind us. So we gathered up what we had with us and as soon as the door opened we headed to the baggage claim.

**EPOV**

We finally landed in Key West and I felt the excitement building. The entire flight I kept wondering if I would ever see the girl with the brown eyes again. I shook my head quickly to push out any hopes of that ever happening.

I looked towards the front of the small plane before I grabbed Alice's carry-on and couldn't see too far ahead as everyone had packed the aisle. It was about 5PM and we needed to head to baggage claim. We were instructed that a van would pick us up and take us to our destination. I wonder if that van will be large enough to accommodate Alice's wardrobe?

Alice was exceptionally hyper, more so than usual. She practically skipped to the baggage carousel. It wasn't hard to find her luggage as she had tied a blood red bow to each piece. I was grabbing the last one when I heard that same melodic voice from earlier. I looked to my left across the carousel and there she was, the girl with the brown eyes. _Is she really here? Am I really this luck? _She didn't notice me at first, until……

I had to quickly look away as I noticed the luggage I was holding onto was practically dragging me down the conveyor belt with it. I let it go, determined to get it the next time around, and straightened up. I looked over the carousel at her and she was staring right at me. Her eyes were like brown pools you could drown in. She smiled shyly at me and quickly turned away as someone yelled out to her. A muscle bound guy walked up to her and put his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear. I heard her laugh and it sounded like angels singing. The guy picked her up and spun her around and she squealed. _Figures, of course a beautiful girl like her wouldn't be single. _

I resigned myself to the fact that she was taken and I was sure I wouldn't see her again this summer. I slumped my shoulders and walked over to Alice with the last piece of her luggage.

Alice had the strangest expression on her face as if she were in some kind of trance. She was staring at something and the edges of her mouth were turned up in an almost grin.

"Al, you okay? Are you tired?"

"Huh? Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She snapped her head up in my direction instantaneously pulling her away from what ever had caught her attention. That was the second time today she zoned out on me; it's like her eyes just glaze over and she's in another dimension.

"We're almost there Al and then you can get some rest." I was a bit worried that she was in pixie overload; she had been bouncing nonstop since 7AM this morning.

I walked her towards the doors, me pushing the overflowing cart, and as we exited I saw the van awaiting us. The driver put our luggage in the back while I helped Alice into the van. She grabbed me around the neck and kissed my cheek for the second time today and then headed to the back for a seat.

Before I climbed in I took one last look over my shoulder and saw her again.

She was standing on the inside of the doors staring at me and I couldn't help but notice the look on her face….it fluttered from disappointment to shock.

**BPOV**

Emmett was grabbing our bags as they came around the carousel. Rose kept pointing out which ones were hers and he was helping Jasper gather up the rest.

"Geez Bells, compared to Rose you look like you're only staying overnight. You do kow you will be here all summer right?" Emmett nudged Jasper and they both were laughing at the comparison.

"Very funny, GQ man. You have quite a few bags yourself for a guy. Isn't there some kind of rule for the number of bags a guy should be packing? If you keep giving me crap this summer I will need one more suitcase to go home with and your body will be in it!"

I swiftly turned around to try and see which direction we needed to go and to hide my smile from Emmett. That is when I saw those beautiful green eyes once again looking at me from across the carousel. I just couldn't look away and I felt the smile stay on my face along with the flush of heat to my cheeks. _I must be seeing things. I am not lucky enough to think he would actually be staying here in Key West anywhere near where I was. _

"Squirt,"I heard Emmett call me and quickly turned to see him walking up behind me.

He put his arm around my waist and whispered in my ear. "I am so happy you are here. I promise you will have a great time little sis. Just remember to behave, cause I will be watching you." This made me laugh and he picked me up and spun me in a circle which only made me laugh more.

"Enough already Em," he set me back down and I looked for those wonderful green eyes but they were gone. _See just as I thought, wishful thinking_.

Jasper was standing next to me staring across the room. He grabbed his bag and walked over to the doors to look out and I followed him. It seemed like he was looking for something or someone. Then he turned with a pouty look on his face and shrugged his shoulders. I followed his gaze and I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Disappointment and then shock were the only things that came to my mind.

**_A/N: We'd like to thank you again for taking the time to read our little story. We started out writing a chapter each, taking turns basically, but soon realized we could do much better if we combined forces for each chapter. So here you have it….we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy receiving your reviews. Your reviews help us know if you are finding our story enjoyable and what kind of "things" you'd like the gang to do or get into._ _Also, going forward there will be fewer POVs. _**


	5. Dazed and Confused

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story; we hold no rights to them otherwise.**

**A/N: It has come to our attention that there is in fact NO carousel at EYW (Key West airport) and wanted to apologise for our faux pas as we are trying to keep this as factual as possible. We'd also like to thank IsabellaMCullen (our freshwater conch) for helping us with our Key West geographics….this chapter is dedicated to you my dear. **

_Previously: "__I followed his gaze and I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Disappointment and then shock were the only things that came to my mind."_

**BPOV**

As I stood in the doorway my initial intention was to figure out what had Jasper so perplexed. The end result though was quite different. My eyes never made it past the slender but muscular build of the bronze haired guy who had been haunting my thoughts since the first time I saw his gorgeous green eyes. He was helping a cute, overly excited girl into a van. So he is handsome and he is a gentleman, you don't see that very often. That would give him three points in his favor if I count the gorgeous green eyes. What I was not prepared for was the girl turning around, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a kiss. _Yes, a kiss! A cute girl just wrapped her arms around him and kissed him! Shit, shit, shit! Why would I even think that someone like him would not already have a girlfriend? Someone like him would be in a way different league than me. I never had a chance, what in the world was I thinking? That was the problem, I couldn't stop thinking…about him._ The girl then climbed into the van and he followed behind her. He turned to look in my direction and seemed to stare at me for a minute and then he was gone.

Once I was over the initial disappointment, I snapped back into reality just in time to see Rose heading over to where a line of vans were sitting parked at the curb. Emmett had a big grin on his face and was pushing a cart with our luggage while Jasper was trailing behind them with the last few bags stacked in his arms. I'm not sure how he was even able to see where he was going but he must have been following the sound of Rose calling out instructions.

"Jasper, don't you dare drop my bags!" she threatened. I am not sure but I thought I heard him mumbling back at her under the stack of bags.

"Honey, are you joining us today or not?" and there goes my brother again being a smart ass. It was getting quite annoying and I was not sure if he was doing it to be funny or trying to impress Rosalie.

"Why yes dear, I'm right behind you." Two can play at that game.

It wasn't until they started loading the luggage into the van that I felt the color drain from my face. This wasn't just any van, this was_ the_ van! It had to be a mistake. Why are we getting on the same van as _him_? _Oh… my… god!_ Suddenly someone grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the van doors.

"Is something wrong?" There was a look of concern on Emmett's face. "I could pick you up and put you inside if you would like." He was being sweet and sarcastic.

"No, thank you. I think I can manage to climb inside of a van." I didn't mean to snap at my brother.

I tried as much as possible to keep my gaze directed down at the seats. I didn't want to be distracted by his face. I didn't want to stare at him and make a fool of myself. Luckily Rose had already found a seat and was signaling me to sit down next to her.

"Bella, I'm going to make sure you have fun this summer." She said. "I hope you like to go shopping because I hear there are some great boutiques in Key West and we just have to check them out."

"Thanks Rose." I smiled back at her. "That sounds like fun. I need to find a way to relax a bit I think."

Jasper and Emmett were sitting up front near the driver. They were having a conversation with him and laughing. Every now and then Emmett would turn around and wink at me. I think he was just checking to make sure I was doing okay. Whenever he would let out one of his hearty laughs, I would see Rose glance at him and smile.

I was aware of the voices coming from behind me. The female voice was so light and cheerful and talking a million words a minute. I couldn't hear what was being said, but it sounded like she was reciting a list of things she would like to do. I listened to hear _his_ voice but I don't think she ever gave him a chance to really answer her before she would continue on.

I turned my head to the side hoping it would appear that I was looking out the window. My eyes glanced at the back seat just as he looked in my direction. Once again I found myself staring into a sea of shimmering emeralds. I almost couldn't look away. _Damn…dazzled again!_ I managed to turn my head so fast that I thought I felt a hair clip fly out of my hair.

"I think you dropped this." I heard his velvet voice next to my ear as his hand extended out in front of me. His long, slender fingers were holding a metal hairclip, the same one I felt come out of my hair.

I turned in my seat not realizing his face would be inches from mine. My mouth opened as I attempted to say thank you, but nothing came out. He seemed to find this amusing and his mouth formed into a crooked smile.

"Would you like to have it back?" he asked. I could smell his sweet breath and it sent a chill up my spine.

"Yes, thank you." The words finally crossed my lips.

I reached out to take the clip from his hand and it felt like electricity flowed through our fingers as they touched. He sat back against his seat and I felt my face flush as I turned back around. The van was pulling to a stop. I looked over at Rose and she was grinning at me and glancing behind us. She turned to watch Emmett open the door of the van to let us out and I swear she was checking out his butt as he ducked through the door and hopped out onto the sidewalk.

"Jazz, quit staring at the girl in the back of the van and help me unload the luggage!" It was Emmett's bellowing voice that broke us all out of our daze. Everyone seemed a bit confused as we took in our surroundings and proceeded to exit the van. We had arrived at a two-story waterfront house which looked like it belonged in the Humphrey Bogart movie, "Key Largo."

We grabbed our bags and walked to the front door of the house where a very handsome man was standing with a beautiful woman beside him. My brother had shown me pictures of Carlisle and Esme Cullen. Those pictures did not do them justice at all. They greeted us with big smiles and hugs. I was already feeling quite welcome at my new summer home.

"Please come inside. We can do proper introductions and get to know each other over dinner." Carlisle greeted.

"We are so happy you all are here with us for the summer." Esme said smiling as she stood beside her husband. She then turned to go inside as Carlisle held the door for us all.

And that's when it hit me….we're staying at this house. I'll be staying in the same house as him!

**JPOV**

_What the hell?! My best friend just sold me out and he thinks it's funny! _I may have a very calm personality, but I find it hard to maintain when my best friend just loudly announced that I was ogling a girl. Everyone in earshot is now well aware of that fact including her and I knew this because all eyes in the van were staring at me except for Emmett who was conveniently outside already. Just as I was able to tear my gaze away I saw a huge smile cross her lovely face. Was she actually pleased that I was staring at her or just laughing at my embarrassment? Will I even get the chance to find out? _Nice one Emmett! _

I was preparing for the wrath of her boyfriend so I made it a point to quickly exit the van. I found Emmett already unloading the mountain of luggage and when he saw me coming he quickly put his hands up in a surrender gesture.

"Sorry man, it just came out. You looked like you were lost in Jasperland. How else was I supposed to get your attention?" I shook my head and just let it go for now. It normally would have been a good stunt to get a girls attention if… she wasn't already taken. I was excited when I realized she was sitting in the back of _our_ van. What a strange twist of fate to have this absolutely beautiful girl going to the same destination as me. There's just something I can't explain that keeps drawing me to her. I wonder if she feels it to. Would I be that lucky, or would her boyfriend tear me to pieces before my summer even began? I can understand if he were overly jealous. I would imagine that if she were my girl, I would protect her no matter what.

I don't know if I will have the nerve to look at her again, but I also don't think I will be able to resist.

**EPOV**

Alice and I had climbed into the van and were welcomed by Jimmy Buffet's doppelganger named Jack, "Welcome to the Conch Republic!" He explained that we were headed to an area close to South Beach off of Simonton Avenue near Waddell and Alberta. Supposedly, it was near the quieter end of Duval Street away from the "party spots" as he called them. Jack also said there would be additional passengers riding with us. I wonder if they'll be working at the same place as us. I wonder if the brunette will stop by the store. Mmm, I wouldn't mind helping her try on a wetsuit or out of one. _Whoa Edward, easy now. Since when do I even talk like that! _Snap out of it Edward, did you SEE the size of the guy she's with!

I was snapped out of my internal argument by the sound of luggage being loaded. I saw a group of people standing at the van doors and my jaw hit the floor immediately! There she was in all her beauty and she was getting on this van. I heard the buff guy ask her if she needed help climbing in but I couldn't hear her response. She climbed in, not looking in my direction, and sat in the seat in front of me next to the blonde she was with. Did she notice me sitting here? _Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't believe she is getting in this van! Wait, does that mean? _

I heard the blonde ask her a question but all I could make out before I zoned out was... _Bella…_Her name is Bella? A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. That name is perfectly fitting. …_Thanks Rose…. _Her voice was soft and sweet, the kind that would sound good even reading a phone book.I was trying my best to hear what they were saying simply because I was desperate to hear her voice again. I was having a difficult time however because Alice chose that moment to continue reciting her "million and one things we'll do this summer" list.

I tried my hardest to pay attention to Alice but I couldn't help notice the big guy out of the corner of my eye. He was sitting up front by the driver and he kept turning around to wink at _Bella._ _Bella, Bella, Bella…I could say that name over and over again. _

Alice was talking about a pamphlet she picked up at the airport, something about the Mel Fisher museum. I turned my head towards the window hoping to catch another look at Bella's profile. Who am I kidding? I was going to blatantly stare at her and hope I didn't get caught by the steroid man. As my head turned and my eyes roamed they made contact with something better than her profile, for the fourth time today I was staring into her brown eyes.

She turned her head away so fast it was almost a blur. I felt something hit my lap and looked down to see a hair clip. It must have fallen out of her hair when she whipped around so quickly. I had been contemplating a way of striking up a conversation with her throughout the entire drive and couldn't come up with anything to say that wouldn't make me sound like an idiot or cause He-Man's anger to flare. Here was my chance….ready or not…..deep breath.

I leaned forward and said, "I think you dropped this," as I extended my hand out holding the clip. She turned in her seat and she was so close to me that I was overwhelmed by the scent of strawberries and freesia. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She had a flustered look on her face and I couldn't help but grin. She was so cute when she was speechless. Did I do that to her?

"Would you like to have it back?" I was waiting for her to respond; I needed to hear her voice again. She finally spoke and it came out like a whisper, "yes, thank you." I was triumphantly smiling on the inside!

She reached out to take the clip from my hand and when our fingers brushed I felt a surge of electricity shoot through me. My whole body tingled and I slumped back against my seat. I couldn't help but smile at the blush that tinged her cheeks as she turned back around.

I hadn't realized the van had stopped until the big guy opened the door. _Jazz quit staring at the girl in the back….._The big guy yelled at the tall blonde male whose name must be Jazz. I immediately glared at him. Was he talking about my sister?

After everyone else exited the van I jumped out and helped Alice down. I grabbed two suitcases out of the back of the van and set them down; this was going to take multiple trips again. I was in awe at the beautiful house in front of me. It was a white two-story classic "conch" house and fit the island perfectly. I had seen photos of the house before but they didn't do it justice; I can only imagine what the inside looks like. **(A/N: Photos of the house on our profile page. Wait until you see the inside!)**

We were greeted by Carlisle, my father's college roommate, and his beautiful wife Esme. We had met them years ago when they came up for a UM alumni convention and stayed with our parents. They are two of the nicest people I had ever met and I just knew this would definitely feel like a home away from home.

I was anxious to start dinner. Actually, I was anxious to skip right to the "introductions."

_I wanted to learn everything I possibly could about Bella and it seems I'll have plenty of time to do that since we're staying in the same house! _

**A/N: The gang has now made it to Key West. They are about to realize many things about themselves and each other in the up coming chapters. Wait...do you hear that? **_**Lemonade, fresh squeezed lemonade.**_** Remember for the fun of it, we will leave a teaser for those of you who let us know what you think. Reviews are always welcome.**


	6. Information Overload

Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story; we hold no rights to them otherwise.

**A/N: Sit back in a comfortable chair for this one, it is a bit long but well worth the read! Along the way you will note the reference to photos; be sure to check back on our profile for interior pictures of this gorgeous Key West home.**

_Previously: "__I wanted to learn everything I possibly could about Bella and it seems I'll have plenty of time to do that since we're staying in the same house!"_

**EPOV**

I followed everyone into the house and placed our bags next to the stairs, which were directly in front of the door. **(A/N: photo on profile) **There was a room off to the left that was bright and airy which Esme motioned everyone to follow her into. "Why don't you have a seat and relax. I'm sure you're all exhausted after such a long journey. I'll get us some lemonade."

I was stopped by Carlisle before I entered the room. He extended his hand to me, which I gladly took. "Edward, it's so good to see you and Alice again. Esme and I are extremely happy you accepted our offer."

"Thank you Carlisle. Alice and I are thankful for the opportunity." He gestured to the living room and we walked in together. The room looked very cozy with sage green walls and inviting chairs. There was a long, red sofa against the main wall with a window on either side letting in the glorious light of the sun. There was a single chair on each end of the sofa and a comfortable looking chair and ottoman at the furthest end of the room. **(A/N: photo on profile)** My gaze went back to the sofa where she was sitting, Bella. She was sitting in between the blonde girl and the burly guy who was at the end opposite the entrance to the room. At the end closest to me was the blonde guy who had been staring at Alice earlier. I instinctively took the single chair closest to the blonde guy for two reasons; I thought I would be able to see her better and I definitely didn't want to sit next to the burly guy for fear of his fist if I was caught staring. Alice took the chair across from me and curled her legs up under her. I caught the blonde guy, Jazz, sneaking glances in her direction and I could see that Alice was reciprocating the gesture. _Could they make it any more obvious? She should just jump into his lap for crying out loud and get the awkwardness over with. They obviously like each other or there is at least an attraction there. _

Esme walked back into the room with a tray of lemonade and eight glasses with ice and placed it on the coffee table. She handed each of us a glass and turned to the chair where Carlisle was sitting. She sat down on the ottoman in front of him with a warm smile.

"Welcome to our home. We're glad to see returning faces, familiar ones and new ones. We hope you enjoy your stay in the Keys and walk away with new knowledge and perhaps new friends." Carlisle had put his elbows on the armrests and had his hands clasped in front of him. "So, why don't we get to know each other a little bit? It might be easier if we just go around the room. I know some of you know us already but since some of you don't know each other it's an easy way of breaking the ice. I'll start, I'm Carlisle Cullen and this is my wife Esme. We moved here 10 years ago and opened Atlantic Eclipse Charters. Edward, would you like to go next? Just give us your name, age and how it is you came to the Keys today. We can get to know each other more during dinner."

"Of course Carlisle. I'm Edward and I'm 18. Carlisle is a family friend and went to college with my Dad and asked him if I'd like to work for him this summer."

"I'm Jasper but you can call me Jazz and I'm 19. I worked for Carlisle last summer and jumped at the opportunity to come back."

"I'm Rosalie but Rose or Rosie is fine and I'm also 19. Jasper is my brother, we're fraternal twins." _That should make Alice happy to hear. _As I looked across the coffee table at her she had a beaming smile on her face but was looking at me instead of Jasper. She winked and I figured she would be announcing us as siblings too which I failed to mention for some unknown reason. Why didn't I say that? Probably because Bella is taken AND who would think Alice and I were together. "Jasper told me Carlisle needed some extra help this summer and asked if I'd like to join him. It beats working on campus so I said yes!"

"I'm Bella and I'm 18. Um, this is my first time to Key West actually." _She's the same age as me. _She smiled shyly and looked down at her lap as she spoke.

"Emmett, 19, and this little squirt to my right here is my little sister." My jaw dropped at that revelation…he's….her…..**brother**?? _There is a GOD and he is vacationing in Key West. _I can't believe I thought they were together. I mean, of course she would be with someone good looking but how could I perceive his or her sibling interactions as intimate. This is really going to be a good summer! I feel like waltzing on cloud nine.

"I worked for Carlisle last year and that's how I met Jazz and was told the same thing about needing extra workers. I asked Bells here 'cause she leads such a boring life and needs to get out more and have fun. Oh, that hurt Bella; you better not have left a bruise." She had punched him in the arm with his last comment but the playful smile on her face was adorable. _She needs to have more fun? How ironic, my dear sister told me the same thing. Oh, I can see a lot of fun happening in the future. Mind out of the gutter Edward, you are a gentleman…for now. Edward…quit it, I'm warning you. I'm chastising myself…I'm losing it. What is she doing to me? _She probably has someone back home anyway.

"HI! I'm Alice and I'm 18 and the quiet, brooding one across from me is my brother but don't announce that publicly. I do have an image to uphold." She was bouncing in her seat and had a twinkle in her eye. She gave me a smirk and I just scowled at her, now Bella will think I'm self absorbed and mentally troubled. _Thanks Alice! _Alice simply winked at me and turned her attention to Jasper. Jasper had a Cheshire cat grin on his face and couldn't tear his eyes off of her. They were locked in some sort of intimate gaze and I felt as if I were intruding by being in the same room. I turned my attention to Bella. She was staring at me with a serene expression on her face, was that relief. Our eyes met and she blushed and quickly looked at her lap. _I could get use to that blush. _

"Well, now that the introductions are out of the way and we are all on a first name basis, shall we go into the dining room for dinner?" Carlisle stood up and walked into the adjoining room. The dining room reminded me of a plantation house. The walls were red and wood paneled and there were French doors at the end, which were open allowing a light breeze to flow through the room. The dining table was long and there were three chairs on either side with one at each end of the table. **(A/N: Photo on profile) **Carlisle sat at the head of the table nearest the living room. I asked Alice where she'd like to sit and she wanted to sit next to Carlisle. I pulled her seat out for her and then took the seat across from her on Carlisle's right. Jasper took the seat next to her and she smiled up at him, which he happily returned. Emmett sat to his left on Esme's right and Rose took the seat across from him on Esme's left which left Bella no choice but to take the only open seat next to me. I stood up and pulled her seat out for her and she looked taken aback but smiled at me and murmured a thank you. I sat back down trying hard to fight the smirk tugging at my mouth.

"Please help yourselves." Esme said and she began to pass a large bowl around the table.

We ate in relative silence at first, enjoying the conch chowder Esme had made and then moved on to dessert, which consisted of beignets and coffee. I couldn't help myself but I tried to touch Bella as often as I could. I would accidentally brush my arm against hers or reach for my glass when she did so our fingers would touch. Each time she let out a barely audible gasp that only I heard because of our close proximity. I reveled in the jolt of electricity I would feel each time our skin would touch. I continued to watch her every movement out of the corner of my eye and smiled when I would catch her doing the same. I hadn't noticed the table get quiet until I heard someone clear their throat and say my name.

"Edward? I asked if you had decided on a college for fall." It was Carlisle and I'm assuming he had called my name several times. I however was too busy ogling Bella to notice. Alice giggled and Bella blushed while the rest of the table simply smiled at me.

"My apologies Carlisle. Yes, Alice and I have decided on your and Dad's alma mater actually."

"That's fantastic; your father didn't mention it! You'll be a legacy. Will you play baseball or are you leaving that behind in high school?"

"Actually I received an athletic scholarship and was offered a position on the baseball team."

"Emmett and Jasper play baseball too." It was the first time I had heard the angel speak since giving her name earlier in the evening. I turned and smiled at her and got lost in those brown orbs once again.

"Yup, Jazz and I play at UM. Jazz plays shortstop and I catch. We won the Big Ten tournament last season…man we rocked didn't we Jazzman!" Emmett and Jasper banged their fists together in a triumphant hoorah.

"That's lovely dear. What do you catch exactly?" Esme was sweet but so clueless when it came to sports.

Carlisle giggled and blew his wife a kiss. "He's the catcher dear, he's behind home plate. When the pitcher throws the ball, Emmett catches it as long as the batter doesn't hit it."

"Oh, sounds dangerous." Esme was the typical "you might get hurt" mother.

_Wait a minute….UM? They play for Michigan? That's where I'm going to be playing!_ "So you guys play for UM? Do you like it there?" I directed my question at Jasper and Emmett.

"Sure do, best damn team in the country if you ask me. Sorry Mrs. Cullen." Emmett was obviously passionate about the team.

"What college will you be playing for Edward? You said you'd be playing baseball right?" Jasper seemed genuinely curious. I wasn't certain how to tell them that I'd be playing with them and to be honest, I was a bit nervous.

"Um, actually….I'll be playing at….your college." Could I possibly have stammered that out any worse than I did!

"So Edward does that mean you'll be playing with them! If not, I'm sure they'll play with you for at least the summer." Alice was not the sharpest pixie in the box sometimes. If it didn't involve shopping Alice didn't care, the lack of sports knowledge was something Alice had in common with Esme. And why did she make playing sound dirty.

"Alice, it seems your brother will be playing baseball with us next season. But I'm sure we can play a little this summer too." Jasper nudged her, which made her giggle. She whispered something in his ear and he chuckled and whispered back. Even he made playing sound dirty although something tells me that was more for her benefit.

"So, you're playing for UM? With us? What position? How come we haven't met you yet? Most players try out WITH the team." Emmett threw a barrage of questions in my direction and I couldn't tell if he was angry or disappointed. I for one was a bit intimidated but didn't want that to show in front of Bella.

"Yes, I was offered a pitching position. Coach Maloney came to my high school and offered the position to me; I was told a scout had been watching my games. To be honest with you, I was nervous about taking the position _because_ of the fact I hadn't met the team. I understand how important team morale is and now that I've met the two of you I can see how strong of a bond the team must have. I hope you'll give me a chance to prove myself this season." I was polite and honest with a hint of desperation but not begging. The last thing I want them to think is that I'm some sort of groveling tool who only wants to fit in with the team but can't play. Truth is, I was UM's first freshman pick…I was that good but I didn't want to cause waves this early in the game.

"Humph, well we do need a new pitcher and if Coach has scouts watching you then you must be good Edward….." He was waiting for me to give him my last name.

"Masen. And you must be Emmett Swan and Jasper Hale right? I've read up on the team and you're two of the strongest players."

"In the flesh! Not two _of_ the strongest, we are _the_ strongest. GO BLUE!" Emmett high fived Jasper again…I wonder if that hurts Jasper's hand.

"Wait a minute, E. Masen, I remember hearing Coach talk about you. The "Golden Boy" is what he calls you." Jasper didn't sound cocky when he said it but I cringed at the nickname.

"Ah man, don't tell me that when you step out onto the field everyone is going to start singing that "Wild Thing" song! I certainly hope you're as good as Coach says you are, especially if I have to deal with flashbacks of the movie Major League." I grimaced and let out a silent laugh wanting to bury my head in the sand. Everyone started laughing at Emmett's comment, including Bella. I knew that name would garner me ridicule like this, someone really needs to change the subject before my head explodes.

"Bella what school will you be attending in the fall?" Alice to my rescue, thank goodness that pixie can read my facial expressions. It seemed to work as everyone quieted down and stared intently at Bella who looked extremely uncomfortable now the attention was on her. I wanted desperately to hear where she was headed in the fall.

"Um, the same as the rest of you actually." She was so cute when she acted shy. I was overjoyed to hear her response. Music to my ears! _Yes, yes, yes, yes! _

"Well, I guess I will have to show you girls all the hot spots on and off campus. I know all the best places to shop." Rose was very confident as she spoke. I see a big sister emerging and I am sure Alice will love that. She can shop with Rose and Bella instead of dragging me to the mall with her.

"How lovely, all of you attending the same college. What a small world and what a wonderful way to get to know each other before school starts." Esme lived Monty Python's motto, _always look on the bright side of life._ "Now, if every one is finished I can give you all a tour of the house and then show you to your rooms if you'd like."

Everyone stood, anxious to see the rest of this gorgeous abode. We took our dishes into the kitchen and cleaned up the dining room. I don't cook but this kitchen would make ANYONE want to start. All the appliances were stainless steel and there was an arched window that went all the way to the floor. **(A/N: Picture on profile)** We exited a set of French doors to a covered patio area that had a table and chairs. I could see the French doors from the dining room also led out to the same patio. The backyard was a place where you could either relax or have fun. There was a small pool with chaise lounges around the sides and a cabana bath. To the left there was a Jacuzzi with a waterfall and a spiral staircase that led to the pool area from the upstairs balcony. **(A/N: Pictures on profile) **

Esme led us back inside and towards the staircase to the second floor. At the top of the stairs was a small reading area with a door that led out to the balcony that stretched from one side of the house to the other. I could see several doors leading out to the balcony. The first room we came across was Esme and Carlisle's bedroom, the green room as she called it, which had a door that led to the balcony on the front of the house. The next room was called the blue room and it was the second largest next to the master bedroom. We all decided Emmett should get that room because of his size.

"Sweet! Jazz, there's enough room to wrestle! Oh and I have a balcony! You think if you jump you can make it into the pool from up here? No? Carlisle, you should install a slide! Hey look at the size of this bed." When he mentioned the bed his eyes flashed right to Rosalie and she winked at him. "Like I said, enough room to wrestle."

Are they together? Emmett was obviously happy with his room selection and it seems Rosalie was too.

"I'm glad you are pleased with this room Emmett dear," Esme commented, "If you remember, I was redecorating it last year and you will be the first guest to occupy it. It should be roomier for you than the loft."

We then ventured to the yellow room that Rosalie chose for Jasper. "It suits your personality Jazz, calm and soothing." He simply rolled his eyes at her.

"I am happy you approve of this room Rose. It would have been my choice too. I was quite comfortable staying in it last year." Jasper smiled.

Then we were on to a room at the back of the house that had two massive beds. It was the only room in the house with multiple beds so it made sense to put the girls in there. Rose and Bella agreed to share a bed since they knew each other so well which left my sister with a bed of her own. The room had a door that led out to the back balcony and the largest bathroom in the house. I could see the smiles on Rosalie and Alice's faces. "Oh look at this bathroom!" Yup, Alice liked it. "Bella, we are going to have so much fun playing bathroom beauty shop!" It seems Rosalie likes it too but I wasn't so certain about Bella. Her nose was scrunched up and she had a sour expression on her face. "NO, no Bella Barbie Rose!" Nope, she wasn't that impressed with the bathroom.

We went up another flight of stairs into a loft that was the last bedroom and it was mine. It was perfect for me, cozy with a sitting area under a skylight where I could read. **(A/N: All bedroom photos on profile)**

"Well you kids get situated and when you're done come downstairs and we'll go through Carlisle's "semantics." Make yourselves at home; if there is anything you want to do, do it. The pool and Jacuzzi are at your disposal as is the kitchen and the entire house. Please don't ask permission. Think of this as your house, your home away from home." Esme then gave us all hugs and kissed our cheeks as she went downstairs to find Carlisle.

I unpacked and made my way to Alice's room to see if she needed help with her 5 suitcases. I was about to knock when I heard Bella's voice. She was having a conversation with Alice and Rosalie. I wanted to stay and listen but I felt guilty for eavesdropping. My decision was made for me when I heard Jasper call my name. "Hey Edward, you coming downstairs?"

"Yeah, right behind you." I ventured downstairs and found Carlisle and Esme by the pool. Jasper and Emmett were sitting on two of the lounge chairs chatting with them.

"Have a seat Golden Boy!" Emmett was not going to let that go. I sighed and made my way to another chair. We talked for a little while about the house, college, baseball and other things until the girls finally made it downstairs.

**BPOV**

I could not believe how beautiful this house was; the balconies, the pool, Jacuzzi and the whole interior design were just amazing. Esme was quite a designer. I began to unpack when Rose caught me by surprise with her question.

"Bella, you seem pretty interested in Edward. Is it his wonderful head of bronze hair you keep staring at?" Nothing like just coming out and saying it, that was Rose for you. Alice stopped her unpacking to listen and join in.

"Rose, I honestly don't know what you are talking about." I answered her while turning my head to hide the blush I could feel in my cheeks.

"Are you interested in my brother? Really?" Alice seemed please at the idea.

"No, I um…I was just trying to be polite to everyone. Why would you think I was interested? Not that your brother isn't nice looking or anything. I um…." Now I sounded real smooth. _They are going to read right through you Bella_. I am sure he must think I am a klutz anyways. All through dinner I kept bumping into him whenever I reached for something. What did I do, drag my feet on the carpet or something? I kept getting this electric, tingly feeling all through my body whenever we touched. Not that it was a bad feeling...actually I don't think I have ever felt anything like it.

"Whatever you say Bella." Rose was going to let me off the hook for now and I was glad.

Maybe I could find out more about Edward from Alice later. Rose suddenly stopped unpacking to run over to Alice's bed.

"Alice are you kidding me?! Is that outfit a Gucci? No way!" Rose was completely impressed with her wardrobe. I had no idea what they were talking about. I just continued putting my clothes in the drawers.

"If you like this one you should see some of the other stuff I brought with me. I couldn't decide what to bring so I brought most of what I had. I even had Edward stop at the mall on the way to the airport. He is such a sweetheart." Alice and Rose talked on and on about designers. I was so out of the loop in that area. Just give me some comfortable jeans and a t-shirt and I am good to go.

"Um, Bella are you seriously finished unpacking already?" Rose was staring at me incredulously and Alice wore a very similar expression.

"I only brought what I thought I would need." At this the girls started laughing and fell on a pile of Alice's clothes.

"Rosalie, we are going to have to teach this girl a thing or two about fashion." Alice had a look in her eyes that sent a chill up my spine. "Once we start working, our first day off will be shopping day!" Excitement at the word _shopping_ had them both bouncing on the beds. When I agreed to loosen up I had no idea what I was in for.

"Hey girls, haven't you unpacked the mall from your suitcases yet?" Emmett's booming voice came in through the open balcony doors from somewhere below. I walk out onto the balcony to answer him and noticed Carlisle, Esme and the guys all sitting by the pool talking. No one seemed to notice me up here at the moment so I tried to listen in. Edward had such a quiet musical voice and was always so polite. I must have been staring at him like an idiot because I never heard Alice walk up behind me.

"I thought you weren't interested in my brother?" she whispered in my ear. "It's okay, I give him a hard time about being an uptight bookworm but I am hoping he will relax while we are here. I saw him looking at you quite a bit at dinner." I blushed as I looked over at her. _He was probably trying to figure out why I kept bumping into him_. She was raising her hand slightly to give a little wave. I turned back expecting Jasper to be looking up here and I saw Edward's adorable crooked smile steeling a glance our way instead. _Those eyes…if they were only meant for me_. I turned to look at Alice and she was gone. Looking down once more I smiled shyly back at him.

"Sis, grab the girls and get down here! You all can't possibly still be unpacking." Emmett was yelling up to me and broke me out of daze. _Thanks bro_.

"Sure, sure" I answered "We'll be right down." Quickly I returned to the room to find both Rose and Alice closing the last drawers. How did they unpack so quickly and where did they put it all? Everything was all tidy and the suitcases were even under the beds.

"They are waiting for us by the pool." I told them.

"Well, let's go!" answered Alice and Rose together. They both grabbed my arms and we headed downstairs laughing together as we each found a seat and waited for Carlisle to start.

"Everyone settled and unpacked? Good. I hope you are all happy with your rooms. I thought I would discuss the shop and what your jobs will be. I also thought we'd discuss your free time and lay down a few ground rules." And Carlisle's "semantics" began.

We all listened intently as Carlisle explained what our new jobs would entail. The guys would all be working out on the charter boat during the day with him, while the girls would keep things running smoothly in the tourist shop with Esme. AEC basically ran fishing charters; scuba and snuba expeditions and we would also be taking turns doing snorkeling tours later into the season as we were trained.

"You will have one or two days off a week and I want you to enjoy your free time. I know you kids will want to go out to some of the popular night spots but I would rather you tried to do that on a night when you are not working the next morning. As busy as it gets here in the summer, I need you all to be on your toes. Safety is an issue when you are working on the charter boat and taking groups on any of the water expeditions." He looked around at each of us as he spoke. "I am sure you will all be very responsible when it comes to your jobs; I am not worried about that. Just remember that Esme and I see you as our family for the summer. We will be watching out for you and expect you to do the same for each other." Carlisle smiled at us all and Esme nodded in agreement.

I looked around at the others and it didn't escape my notice that Emmett was looking at Rose and Jasper at Alice. I dropped my head down and looked up from underneath my eyelashes in Edward's direction. He had just looked away from Carlisle and was staring at me with a wicked glint in his eyes. Those beautiful emerald eyes that caused me to become befuddled as I watched the breathtaking crooked smile reappear. _Of course, there is no way he would be interested in me_. I stared back down at my hands.

"Please enjoy your summer here with us and if you need anything at all feel free to talk to us at anytime. Now, you all look pretty tired so go get yourselves a good night's rest and we will see you at breakfast" Esme stood to hug us each goodnight. "Oh and kids, you can relax around the pool here tomorrow. We are giving you a day off to adjust before you have to start work."

I heard the chatter around me as everyone proceeded to say their goodnights. I must not have moved because I felt someone take my hand and pull me up from the chair. Standing inches in front of me was Edward and he was still holding my hand.

"I am sorry if I interrupted your thoughts," the sound of his voice could put me in a trance, "are you okay? You seemed a million miles away."

"I…I'm fine. Thank you…for asking and thank you for…helping me up." I stammered as I looked at his dazzling face and stared like an idiot. I was stunned that he was speaking to me. _I hope I'm not drooling. _

"Well, I guess this is goodnight then Bella. Maybe we will get a chance to talk tomorrow." I just loved the sound of my name as it came across his flawless lips. I couldn't help but feel that electricity once again and then realized he was still holding my hand. Everything around me was quiet except for the sound of crickets chirping in the distance. This woke me out of my trance enough to notice that we were the only two standing by the pool; everyone else had just entered the house. I'm sure it had only been just a minute but it felt like hours had gone by.

"I think I would like that," I answered him. _In fact I think I would go crazy if I didn't get a chance to know him better. __I didn't even want him to let go of my hand._ I reluctantly pulled away and turned to walk toward the house with him following behind me. When I paused to open the door I became aware of his closeness as I felt his breath warm against my neck.

"Let me get that." His face was right next to mine as his arm reached around me to get the door and brushed along my back. "Ladies first."

"Edward…" I wanted to ask him why he was making me feel these strange feelings I had never felt before and if he felt it too but I just couldn't do it. I was probably being silly but I had a million questions I wanted answers to. "…goodnight."

We all headed up to our rooms. Rose and Alice climbed right into bed after changing into pajamas and a short discussion of what time we were waking up. After brushing my hair I got into bed and closed my eyes. I tried not to fall asleep too quickly so I could spend some time thinking of _him_. _Silly Bella._

**A/N: Next chapter the kids enjoy a day of relaxing. Hmm, wonder what will happen? If you've enjoyed reading and would like to receive a teaser of the upcoming chapter the day before release, be sure to leave us a review. And thank you all for your interest in our story!!**


	7. Wet 'N Wild Dreams

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer N Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story; we hold no rights to them otherwise.**

**A/N: We'd like to thank one of our most favorite fanfiction authors, VJGM, for her advice on our first fanfic. She's been an inspiration and a definite help to these two eager to learn writers. If you haven't read her stories yet, you have been missing out! Go read them…you'll thank us!**

_Previously: "_After brushing my hair I got into bed and closed my eyes. I tried not to fall asleep too quickly so I could spend some time thinking of _him_. _Silly Bella.__"_

**EPOV**

I said goodnight to Bella and made my way upstairs to the third floor loft. It had been a long and exhausting day and I was looking forward to sleeping but I wasn't certain if sleep would be something I'd be able to accomplish tonight. I kept thinking back on the day's events, dissecting every word she spoke and remembering every touch we shared. I'm not sure what came over me outside but I saw an opportunity to touch her again and I couldn't pass it up. Once our hands touched, I didn't want to let her go. Her hand fit perfectly into mine like a glove and the warmth of her fingers was enticing. When she pulled her hand out of mine reluctantly it seemed, I felt coldness where her hand had once been. I wanted to feel the warmth of her skin again so I purposely brushed my arm across her back when I opened the door for her. Our close proximity allowed me to take in her intoxicating scent; it was a mixture of strawberries and freesia and was absolutely maddening. I had it bad and was desperate for any contact I could muster.

I put on my pajama bottoms opting to forgo a shirt and got into bed. I closed my eyes waiting for sleep to overcome me. I saw her beautiful face and her perfect figure behind my heavy lids and hoped she would visit me in my dreams. I'm not sure how long I had been asleep when I was woken by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. I sat up and looked to my right trying to focus on the stairs but couldn't see anything clearly. The person stopped when they saw me sitting up and I was able to make out whom it was by the moonlight pouring down from the skylight above.

"Edward, are you awake?" I was speechless; she was standing in my room with only a t-shirt on that barely covered her underwear. "Edward?"

"I..I'm…awake. Are you…alright…Bella?" I was surprised I was able to speak a coherent sentence.

"I couldn't sleep. Could we talk for a bit?" She made her way to the edge of the bed and was looking down at the blanket.

"Of course." I had no idea what to say but I knew what I wanted to do. Here she was, this angel in my room wearing next to nothing and I was expected to be a gentleman. She climbed into the bed under the covers next to me. She scooted so close to me that our bodies were touching and I immediately stiffened in more ways than one.

"Is this okay Edward? You don't mind do you?" _You have no idea what you're doing to me! _

"No, um, I mean, yeah it's perfectly fine." I was lying on my back staring at the ceiling intently, willing myself to keep my hands by my sides. She had turned her body so she was facing me and then slowly rested her head in the crook of my neck. _Oh.My.God! She's killing me. _I felt her place her small hand over my heart and it began to beat out of control. I could feel the curvature of her breasts pressing up against the side of my chest.

"Bella……" It came out sounding strained. I needed to know what her intentions were because I wasn't certain how much longer I could just lay here with her body draped across mine. What has come over her? Is she always this bold? _Stop complaining Edward._

"Hmmm?" I could feel the vibration of her voice on my neck and my obvious arousal was now becoming painful. I turned my head to look at her, her lips were inches away from my own and our noses were touching. I wanted so badly to close the distance and kiss her. She sighed and closed her eyes and I couldn't stop myself. I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers, they were soft and warm. She returned the kiss with a fervent hunger that I hadn't expected. She licked my bottom lip taking me completely by surprise. I opened my mouth, allowing her entrance and our tongues began to dance to a sinful beat. Our kissing became more animalistic and before I realized it she was straddling me. She had both of her hands in my hair and the feeling was luxurious. Her position was not helping my situation and when she started rubbing her hips against my groin I thought I would explode. My hands went to her hips to still her movements but when she moaned I lost all inhibitions. I slid my hands back to cup her perfectly round rear. She started placing kisses across my bare chest. I knew I was reaching a point where I wouldn't be able to stop and as much as I wanted to continue I knew this wasn't right. I opened my mouth to tell her we needed to stop but when she removed her shirt exposing her bare chest to me the words got caught up in my throat. A low growl came from deep in my chest and my hands instinctively started moving towards her newly exposed flesh. I was ready to throw in the towel; there was no way I was going to be able to stop now. She moaned my name, "Edward." Her voice was deep and husky, "Edward." Is she laughing? "_Eddddwaaarrrrdddd_." That's not Bella's voice.

"EDWARD!" I practically jumped out of the bed. There standing at the foot of my bed was Emmett. He was doubled over clutching his sides and his booming laughter echoed around the small room. "Nice dream golden boy? I thought about bouncing your mattress up and down but I was afraid you would mistake me for your hot babe. What was her name? It _was_ a _her_ right?"

"Emmett, why are you in my room and how long have you been standing there?" I can't believe it, it was a dream? But it seemed so real. We didn't actually do those things did then did we? God how I wish we had though. I had to shake my head to bring myself back to reality, that is not the way a gentleman thinks Edward.

"Long enough man. Everyone else is already _up_ and downstairs. If I had known you were _up _too I would have saved myself a trip and an eye full. Now put Eddie Jr. away and come downstairs for breakfast." He turned around and went down the stairs chuckling the entire way. I looked down and saw exactly what he was referring to. How embarrassing!

What did he see, what had I been doing? What did he hear? Is he going to tell _her_? How am I going to be able to look her in the eyes? I'm a pervert, how could I think of her that way! If she knew what I dreamed she'd probably run away screaming. I couldn't bear to see her look at me with disgust on her face. I don't think I'm going to be able to look her in the eyes at all.

I took a much needed cold shower, threw on some khaki shorts and a t-shirt and went downstairs to meet my fate. Everyone was sitting outside at the patio table enjoying their breakfast. Esme had outdone herself yet again. There was fresh fruit, pastries, banana pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh squeezed orange juice and an aromatic coffee.

"Morning sleepyhead. Have a good night?" I winced at Alice's question; please tell me he didn't tell everyone. I simply nodded at her and poured myself a cup of coffee not wanting anything else. I walked towards the pool and took a seat as far away from Bella as possible. I could feel her gaze on me and it was killing me to not look in her direction.

"Hey, you okay? You seem distant this morning. Anything you want to talk about?" Alice walked over to where I was sitting and took the chair next to me.

"I'm fine Alice!" It sounded snotty but I just wanted her to drop it already.

"Alright, alright, sorry I asked! _Anyway,_ everyone is going to change into their swimsuits and cool off in the pool. Care to join us or do you plan on sulking about whatever has you so worked up?"

"Sure." I got up and walked into the house without a single look in Bella's direction. I put my coffee cup in the dishwasher and made my way upstairs to change into a tank top and my swim trunks. I tried to stall as long as I could but knew I'd have to make an appearance or Alice would cause a scene. As I made my way back out to the pool I felt the air leave my lungs in a whoosh. Bella was wearing a barely-there, midnight blue bikini. It made her so tempting and I wasn't sure I'd be able to tear my eyes away from her. She looked up at me and gave me a shy smile. I forced myself to look away without reciprocating the smile. I scrunched my face up and walked to the opposite end of the pool shaking my head the whole way. I sat down on one of the lounge chairs and pulled out my book. I tried my best to pay attention to it but the words simply ran together. I found myself reading the same sentence five times before I gave up and set my book down with a sigh.

I looked over towards Bella and she was bending over to lay her towel down on the chair.

I groaned and rubbed my face with my hand. _She IS trying to kill me. _She jumped into the pool and was horsing around with Emmett. Each time she bounced up and down was torture and I wasn't certain how much longer I could take it. I looked away from her and brought my attention to Alice; I needed a distraction badly. Alice was on Jasper's shoulders and she was giggling. He had his hands on her thighs holding her in place. I noticed Rosalie climb onto Emmett's shoulders and his hands were more on her derrière than her thighs. They began playing a game of chicken and I couldn't help but laugh at their antics. Bella was walking around the pool yelling supportive words to her brother and I swear she was putting an extra sway into her step. I wasn't complaining but it was making it hard not to notice.

"Bells get your butt in this pool! You and I are taking Rose and Jasper down! We have an undefeated record to uphold squirt!"

"I was just starting to dry off," she whined, "Do I have to Em?"

"That's okay Bella, Emmett is probably all talk anyway. Jasper and I have no problem taking his record by forfeit" Rose baited her.

"Fine Rose," Bella jumped into the pool. "Bring it!" she shouted as she climbed on her brother's shoulders.

It was actually quite amusing watching Rosalie and Bella try to drown each other. I wanted to cheer for Bella but thought better of it. It was tantalizing watching her sway back and forth. They way Rose and Bella were twisting and turning was quite hot. The fight was over quicker than it began and the Swan siblings remained undefeated. Emmett was beating his chest like King Kong in victory.

"That's right lets hear you all say it…We are the shiznit." Emmett gloated proudly.

Bella jumped down from Emmett's back into the water. She swam to the edge of the pool to the stairs and slowly, so slowly, climbed out of the water. She stopped at the last step and swung her wet hair to one side. She leaned a bit to the side and was wringing her hair out. Watching the water bead down her body was the most erotic thing I had ever seen. She walked over to her chair, sat down and began putting sunscreen on. The way she lathered it up and down her long legs made me have to swallow a moan that threatened to come to the surface. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was purposely trying to tease me. I silently cleared my throat and picked my book back up; while she lay down to get some sun.

It seemed like several hours had passed and I had endured enough torture for one day. Out of my peripheral vision I could see Bella walking in my direction. I averted my gaze to see Rosalie and Emmett climb into the Jacuzzi. She sat down in the chair next to me and stretched her legs out and I fought to keep my composure.

"Hi, I hope I'm not interrupting. Are you not going to get in the pool?" If she comes any closer I won't be held responsible for my actions; she's far too irresistible in that swimsuit. "Edward?"

"Huh?" I refused to make eye contact with her and opted to stare at my book instead.

"Um, the pool…are you getting in?"

"No." That came out sounding a bit colder than I had intended and I grimaced at my own tone. I glanced at her and the smile she was previously wearing had disappeared to be replaced with a frown. She was looking at the ground and was about to get up and walk away. I have to fix this; it's not fair to take it out on her simply because my ego has been bruised. If Emmett told her anything she would have said something, she wouldn't be initiating a conversation. _Again, you let your paranoia get the better of you Edward._ _Don't push her away! _"I meant, sure." I gave her a smile and a wink.

"Great!" She giggled and all was right in the world.

I pulled off my tank top and walked over to the pool. I jumped in and the water was refreshing and cool. I swam from one end to the other berating myself the whole time for being so selfish and rude. I hope she can forgive me for my inexcusable behavior. I was treading water when I noticed she had climbed onto a float and was soaking in the heat of the sun. Her eyes were closed and she looked peaceful. I could see a hint of a smile teasing the corners of her mouth. Alice was on a float as well and Jasper was pushing her from one end of the pool to the other whispering in her ear the entire time. Each time she would giggle his face would light up. There was no doubting the attraction between those two. It was nice to see Alice so happy and carefree and I thought back to what she had told me about letting loose. I couldn't even last a day before I reverted back to being the old uptight Edward. I was pulled from my self-deprecating thoughts by Carlisle announcing lunch was on the grill and to dry off.

We all climbed out of the pool and Jacuzzi and toweled off. Carlisle made steak kabobs and Esme made potato salad and conch fritters. I could get used to eating this well! I tried to make sure I didn't sit too close to Bella because I wasn't certain if she'd forgiven me for my earlier behavior. I caught her glancing at me throughout the meal and I was sure she had caught me doing the same.

"We thought you all might enjoy a big lunch" Esme explained "Carlisle and I need to take care of some business arrangements this evening so you can just order pizza for dinner tonight."

"That sounds fine with us" replied Jasper. "We will probably just watch movies so pizza will be perfect." Alice caught his eye and they both grinned.

We finished eating and everyone went inside to help clean up and then change.

I finished showering, changed and went downstairs to see what the rest of the gang was doing. I didn't see the girls and assumed they were still changing. Emmett and Jasper were in the living room playing XBOX. I thought I'd try and finish up the book I was not able to pay attention to earlier while I watched for Bella to come downstairs. I went outside realizing I had left it on the chair. I saw Bella outside by the pool; she had changed into a pair of white, linen shorts and a blue halter-top. She looked very annoyed and was tugging at the towel she left on the lounge chair. It looked like it was stuck under the leg of the chair. I walked over to help her when I noticed she was teetering close to the edge of the pool. She gave it one good tug and lost her balance. She started falling backwards and I reached for her but wasn't fast enough to keep her from going into the pool. In fact, I wasn't fast enough to keep either of us from going in. Bella had grabbed onto my shirt and effectively brought me down on top of her right into the pool.

I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to me as I swam to the surface. We both floated there for a moment each sharing a look of shock.

"Are you alright?" I couldn't help but notice how close we were. Her body was pressed so tightly against mine I could feel each curve of her body. Her breasts were pressed firmly against my chest and my body instantly reacted. We were so close there was no way of hiding that.

"Oh my gosh, Edward, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pull you down with me. I'm such a klutz sometimes. Ugh, I'm so embarrassed." She was a bit breathless and her cheeks were flushed. I brushed a strand of wet hair out of her face and held her tighter to me. She looked down at our bodies crushed together and the brightest tinge of red I had seen yet covered her cheeks. She had obviously noticed the effect her body being so close had caused. _Too late to be embarrassed now Edward. _

"Don't be embarrassed." I put my finger under her chin and lifted her head. There was a twinkle in her eyes and I wanted desperately to kiss her. I thought better of it, thinking it was too soon and I certainly didn't want to rush her. "Let's get out of the pool shall we?" I helped her out of the pool and had to clamp my mouth shut before it hit the floor. Her halter-top was completely soaked and the cold air made it extremely obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra. Her white shorts were now see through and clung to her legs. I wanted to bite down on my fist because of the very tempting view in front of me. I could tell she felt self-conscious because she slowly brought her hands up and crossed her arms across her chest. I tried to look away as fast as I could but knew she had caught me staring. I grabbed the towel she had unsuccessfully tried to break free from the chair and wrapped it around her from the front. We slowly looked at each other, both of us blushing profusely.

"Thanks."

"My pleasure." I ran my hand through my hair. I was going to need another cold shower, my second of the day.

"Sorry again Edward. Thank you for attempting to be my Knight in shining armor though."

"It wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me if I didn't at least attempt to rescue the damsel in distress." We both chuckled at the entire situation and slowly made our way inside.

She stopped right before the door and turned towards me. "You know, we never did get the chance to talk today. How about soon though? Whenever we can get some free time?"

"I would like that very much Bella. I'm only one flight of stairs up so if you ever want to just chat, you know where to find me_._ Now, we should really get out of these wet clothes." I held the door open for her but couldn't help smirk at the irony of my statement and the dream I had.

We walked into the house through the kitchen and were met with three sets of eyes all conveying the same curious expression. Esme, Rose and Alice were standing in the kitchen making popcorn. Alice opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Bella.

"Don't ask! I had a typical Bella moment and poor Edward caught the brunt of it, literally." Bella walked past them as fast as she could, making squishing noises and leaving wet footprints the entire way.

I simply shrugged my shoulders while suppressing a laugh and followed her upstairs. I continued up to my room, grabbed a change of clothes and hit the shower. I couldn't stop thinking about the way she felt pressed up against me in the pool. I would be eternally grateful to have her that close to me forever.

**BPOV**

Dripping wet and feeling half naked, I quickly made my way back to the bedroom to dry off and change once more. Edward passed me as he continued up to his room. He didn't turn or even say a word as he went by. That could have something to do with the fact that Emmett was standing near my bedroom door.

"Didn't you swim enough earlier when you actually had your bathing suit on?" he had that big brother look in his eyes.

"Trust me; I hadn't planned to get wet. I was trying to…" he didn't even let me finish.

"I am well aware of the order of events. You forgot that my balcony has a nice view of the pool. I just happened to be out there to see the whole thing. I don't think I could have slid a piece of paper between the two of you. Is there something I need to know? If he is hitting on you and you want him to stop just say the word." Emmett was flexing his muscles without realizing it.

"Don't be absurd! Nothing happened Emmett and you need to give me some space. Edward seems very nice and has been nothing but polite to me. If you did spy on me the whole time you would have realized that I was the one who stupidly pulled him into the water with me. He was just trying to help." I turned away to leave but he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Bells, I'm sorry but I can't help looking out for you. It's been my job since you were an even smaller squirt than you are now." He smirked. "So, are you interested in him?

"I don't really know him so how can I answer that?" I felt a chill and wasn't sure if it was from my wet clothes or just the thought of him.

"I see something in your eyes whenever you look at him Bella. Be careful, you've never really had a serious boyfriend and I don't want you to get hurt. I know how guys can be." And there it was, his secret weapon, the puppy dog eyes. Yes, Emmett loves to use those puppy dog eyes when he is trying to get me to see his point of view.

"Emmett, I promise I will be careful. I really don't think you have anything to worry about." I told him.

"I'll back off then, but don't be so sure about him not being interested. I've seen that same look in his eyes when he sees you. Well, hurry up before we start the movies. I smell popcorn." Emmett gave me a quick hug and took the stairs two at a time on the way down.

I stepped into the bedroom, closed the door and leaned back against it with my eyes closed. I tried to remember everything that happened so far that day. I couldn't stop thinking about how very distant Edward seemed at breakfast. It was like something was bothering him and I hoped it wasn't me. When everyone was in the pool he seemed attentive enough. I noticed him looking at me quite a bit but he didn't join us until I actually asked him if he was going to swim. I was so confused. What was wrong with this guy? What was wrong with me? _Why do I even care?_! All I know is that I could still feel his body pressed up against mine and that is something I would love to feel forever.

I peeled off my wet clothes and changed into a pair of khaki shorts with a light blue t-shirt. As I brushed my hair I found a new determination. I really wanted to get to know Edward and I was going to find a way to do that.

I opened the door and turned the corner running _smack_ into a rock. I felt two arms wrap around me preventing me from falling backward. "What the…"

"You really need to be more careful." I heard his silky voice say to me.

"Edward, what are you..." he raised a finger to his lips.

"I wanted to see if I could catch you before you went down to watch movies with everyone." He whispered. I was aware of his arms still around me and I didn't want him to let go. I didn't want to stop the electric feeling that was running through my body.

I continued to stare in his eyes as I answered him quietly, "I'm sorry I pulled you in the pool; I didn't mean for you to fall in. I am such a klutz sometimes. I hope you aren't mad."

"Bella, I was worried you were mad at me for the way I was acting this morning. I know I said I would talk to you and then I spent most of the time not talking to you. Please don't take that the wrong way. I was a bit preoccupied" His green eyes started to have their dazzling effect on me and I had to close my own eyes to make it stop. Not that I wanted to, but because I needed to.

I reached around my back and grabbed one of his hands pulling him toward my bedroom. He gave me a curious look and I raised a finger to my lips and pulled him through the door checking to make sure no one was coming as I shut it behind us. I continued to lead him through the bedroom out onto the balcony and turned to face him.

"Edward, we have to live in the same house all summer, if there is something about me that bothers you, I would like to know what it is." A stern look crossed my face as I said this.

He started to laugh as he responded, "The only thing about you that bothers me is that I barely know you. I am very curious about you Bella Swan." And he lowered his head shyly looking up at me through his eyelashes to see my response.

"Really?" I was in shock. "I didn't think you would be interested at all." I stared down at my hands feeling very nervous that I actually said that out loud.

He reached out to lift my chin so he could see my face and our eyes met. I was locked in his dazzling gaze and didn't even realize he had moved closer to me. So close, I could feel the heat from his body and hear the beating of his heart. Oh wait, that was my heart pounding as loud as a drum.

"Bella" he whispered to me as he placed his hands on the sides of my face. "Will you give me the chance to get to know you better? I would really like that." His breath blew in my face stunning me.

All I could do was nod and stare stupidly up at him as he continued to hold my face gently. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair letting my shaking hands clasp together behind his neck. I finally found the words, "Yes, I would like to get to know you too Edward Masen."

He started to bring his face down to mine and there was no way I was pulling away. I moved my hands back into his hair as he leaned close enough for his lips to just brush mine. At that very moment we were jolted back into consciousness.

"BELLLAAAA!! Alice's voice carried through the bedroom. Luckily the curtains on the balcony doors blocked our view. I stepped back into the doorway so I could answer her.

"I'm right here Alice. I was just coming downstairs." I answered knowing I must have looked flushed and hoping she didn't notice.

"The previews are rolling and I didn't want you to miss the movie, hurry up." She started to leave and paused for a moment. "Have you seen Edward?"

"N-no, is he missing?" I asked and felt a slight tug at my arm which was still blocked behind the door.

"Probably not, he should be on his way downstairs too." She gave me an odd smile and turned to skip out the door.

Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me back into his arms. "Bella I know my sister and she knows I was out here. She won't say anything if we hurry downstairs and that could save us a lot of explaining."

"But I don't want to leave." I said as I stared into his eyes.

He brushed the back of his hand along my face from my temple to my jaw. "Come on." He said leading me back into the hallway. "I will go down first and you count to 10 and then come down after." He smiled as he walked away.

7...8...9...10…I made my way downstairs to the living room wanting to see Edward as soon as I could. The butterflies were throwing a party in my stomach. I was not sure what happened out on the balcony but I knew it could have been so amazing if Alice didn't have such bad timing.

The living room was dark except for the glow of the television screen. The movie was starting and I looked around for a place to sit as I was pelted by popcorn.

"Emmett knock it off" I growled at him.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked innocently as I heard a slap. "Ouch Rose!"

"Behave Emmett" she scolded him.

My eyes were adjusting to the dark and I noticed they were lying across the floor on pillows next to each other. They looked quite comfortable. Alice and Jasper were sitting together on the loveseat. How appropriate for them. She was snuggled up against him and he had his arm around her.

"I guess you're stuck sitting back there" Alice motioned to the couch and winked at me.

I looked to see Edward sitting on the far side of the couch staring at the television, the corner of his mouth curled up in a smile meant for only me to see. I walked over to the couch smiling shyly and sat on the very opposite end from him. He looked over at me and raised one eyebrow with a curious look. I'm sure he was wondering if everything was okay. I winked back at him and grinned as I turned to watch "_I Know What You did Last Summer." _What an appropriate movie title; I bet Emmett picked it out.

I was holding on to a pillow in my lap and jumped a little at each of the scary parts. A third of the way through the movie I noticed that Edward had moved a lot closer to me with his pillow on the couch between us. This movie must not scare him, I guessed. I was almost squeezing the stuffing out of my pillow. I glanced over and saw him looking at me intently; maybe he could tell I was nervous. He probably thought it was all from the movie but he had no idea that most of my nervousness was coming from being so close to him. His eyes looked down toward the pillow between us and I followed his stare. With one hand he slightly lifted his pillow to show me his other hand was reaching out toward me underneath it. He let go of the pillow and it once again covered the arm closest to me. His eyes returned to the television screen but my eyes lingered on the pillow. I understood what he was trying to say and slid my hand under the pillow, my fingers finding his as they laced together. I could think of nothing else but the feeling of my hand in his. It was so comforting and warm. Each time I was scared I would tighten my grip slightly and he would stroke his thumb back and forth on the top of my hand until I relaxed. This movie could have gone on for hours and it would have made no difference to me. I had no intention on moving. In fact, I don't think I moved at all.

Rose got up to change the movie when it was finished and put in the next one, _Rush Hour, _while Emmett went to the kitchen to bring in the pizza and drinks. Alice was excitedly talking about the first movie to Jasper who was giving her all his attention.

As the pizza was handed out I passed and opted for just a coke and Edward did the same. It's hard to eat pizza with just one hand.

As much as I wanted to talk with Edward, I was content for the moment just sitting close to him and holding hands. The nice part was that it was just our little secret. I turned slightly toward him and lay my head against the back of the couch to get more comfortable. He smiled over at me and I felt his thumb once again drawing circles in the palm of my hand. I was so relaxed I could feel my eyes start to close.

"Edward," I whispered very softly as I felt the cushions shift on the couch.

"I'm right here" he answered and pulled me closer to him. I looked into his eyes and climbed onto his lap facing him.

"Please kiss me" I begged as I ran my fingers through his beautiful soft, bronze hair.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him. Every curve of my body was pressed against him and I could tell from his smile that he was pleased to have me this close. I moved my hips slightly on his lap and he placed his mouth next to my ear as he softly groaned. This sent shivers down my body from my head to my toes. He began placing kisses down the side of my neck and against my collar bone. He continued kissing down the front of my shirt to where the v-neck stopped. I tipped my head back and once again whispered his name, "Edward please," with a soft sigh.

"Edward please, could you do me a favor and drop her into her bed on your way upstairs. I'll finish helping Rose clean up the living room. Alice and Jasper are putting the food away. Just make sure there is NO FUNNY BUSINESS!" Emmett voice echoed into my head.

"What's going on?" I mumbled half aware of where I was.

"Bella go back to sleep, Edward is going to take you upstairs while we clean up. You spent the last part of the movie mumbling on the couch." Emmett was shaking his head as he walked away.

_I mentally groaned; I had been talking in my sleep again. What did I say? Did he hear me? I'm sure whatever I said had to do with that dream but hopefully it was simple mumbling like Emmett said. What a dream though; one I wouldn't mind playing out in real life. _

"Emmett hurry up, I need to get some beauty sleep before we get up for work tomorrow." Rose scolded him as she picked popcorn off the floor.

"Rose you're beautiful already, what are you worried about?" Emmett complimented her and I heard Rose giggle.

Next thing I knew I was being lifted off the couch. Edward picked me up like I was as light as a pillow. I wrapped my arms around his neck and lay my head on his shoulder.

"Thank you" I told him as we ascended the stairs quickly. I felt the bed underneath me way too soon. He had set me down but I still had my arms around his neck. "Please don't go" I begged.

"I will see you tomorrow silly Bella," he laughed as he tried to pull away and my tired arms let loose. He held on to my hand and brought it up to his face placing a warm, soft kiss on my palm. He then closed my fingers over my palm and I pulled my hand back into my chest. He smiled crookedly at me as he pulled the blankets up to my chin and whispered, "Sleep well," and he quietly walked back to his room.

**A/N: Next chapter- the gang's first day at work. Will they be too busy to get in any flirting?? Join us for the next chapter to find out! **

**We also want to make a note that we will still be posting twice a week but will shift our post dates a bit. Our new story posts will happen on Thursdays and Sundays giving us an extra day during the work week. Thanks for reading and enjoying AKU!**


	8. Making Waves

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story; we hold no rights to them otherwise.**

**A/N: Thanks again to VJGM for her suggestions and IsabellaMCullen for her Key West knowledge; don't forget to check out their stories. **

_Previously: He smiled crookedly at me as he pulled the blankets up to my chin and whispered, "Sleep well," and he quietly walked back to his room._

**EMPOV**

The alarm clock sounded off to the tune of the U of M fight song. What a wonderful way to wake up! I never have a problem with mornings no matter how late I stayed up the night before. I was in a very good mood today. Watching movies while lying on the floor very near to Rose was quite enjoyable. I hopped out of bed; did 20 quick push ups and headed to the bathroom. I showered quickly knowing that I had to share the bathroom with Jasper and Edward. I dried off and wrapped the towel around my waist so I could go tell Edward the shower was free. Rounding the corner I ran into, of all people, Rose. I don't mean that I literally ran into her although the thought of her body bumping into mine…

"Hey!" Rose sounded annoyed, "You almost ran into me. Watch where the heck you are go...Oh my!"

She was looking down my body with an impish grin on her face and I dropped my eyes to see what she was staring at. The towel that I had previously wrapped around myself and was holding with one hand was no longer around me but just hanging in my hand. It was covering the only necessary area it needed to but this was a very interesting situation. Our eyes met at the same time.

"Sorry to surprise you like that" I said.

"Well that was a very nice surprise Emmett." She replied still grinning at me. "Feel free to surprise me any time."

"I was on my way to see Edward." I told her.

"Really? You weren't intending to give him that towel were you?" she raised her eyebrows in shock as she spoke. I looked at her curiously for a moment and then it hit me.

"What! No! You've got to be kidding me! Until you came around the corner and almost walked into me, this towel was properly wrapped in place. I need to let Edward know the shower is free for use."

"Alright Emmett, whatever you say." Rose smirked. Just then a yelp came from behind me.

"Emmett what the heck are you doing naked in the hallway man?" That voice would belong to none other than Jasper. From his point of view my backside was glowing like a full moon. I could just imagine his thoughts as his sister stood in front of me and he had absolutely no idea I was holding a towel in front of my manhood. I felt like I was the center of a twin sandwich. I quickly turned around to answer him and once again heard a yelp from behind me. _Oh Crap!_

"Sorry Rose." I apologized again with a wink as she smiled a devilish grin.

"Emmett!" Jasper ordered from behind me "For goodness sakes cover yourself, I'm going blind!"

I watched Rose pass me and continue down the hallway with a giggle and a swagger to her step. I then re-secured the towel and tried to explain to Jasper who was giving me a serious look.

"It's not how it looked Jazz; I was going to tell Edward he can use the shower and your sister came around the corner and almost ran into me. The towel just slipped but not completely, as you saw. Not that you wanted to see, Oh hell, never mind." I turned and went to find Edward.

Once every one was finished getting dressed, we met downstairs in the kitchen. I walked through the door noticing Rose and Jasper looking at me. I smiled at Rose and shrugged my shoulders at Jasper. I was going to have to talk with him later when I got a chance. I poured a glass of orange juice and took a seat next to Bella filling my plate with French toast and bacon.

"So is everyone ready for their first day?" asked Esme. "It shouldn't be to busy. You will have a good opportunity to adjust to your jobs before the busy work weekend kicks in."

"The girls and I were just talking about how much we want to learn everything about working in the shop." Rose told her.

"I am glad to hear it." Esme smiled. "Edward, I am sure the boys and Carlisle will help you learn the routine for the charters. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Sometimes I help out on the boat, so if _I_ can get the hang of it you will not have a problem."

"Thank you for the encouragement Esme," Edward replied. "I am anxious to learn."

He smiled at Esme and then looked over to smile at Bella who returned the gesture. The girls finished eating their breakfast while they chatted amongst themselves. Alice looked like she was going to bounce out of her chair with excitement. We all finished at the same time and cleared the table. Jasper and Alice loaded the dishwasher while the rest of us went out to the front porch to watch for the van. It was only two minutes later when Jack pulled up in front of the house.

"Mornin', good to see everyone ready to go. Let me guess, the roosters woke you up at the butt crack of dawn eh! Climb aboard and we'll be on our way." He called out the window; a Jimmy Buffet tune was playing in the background. "I'll drop the girls off at the shop on the way out to the charter. Carlisle is waiting for us on the boat; he's checking things over." Esme sat up front by Jack.

Edward opened the door so Bella and Rose could climb in back. He climbed in and took a seat behind Bella. Thinking it would be a good chance to listen in to the girls, I sat in the seat next to Edward so I was right behind Rose. I made sure I bumped into her seat as I climbed in. I was expecting her to glare at me but she turned around and gave me the sweetest smile. I almost melted like a piece of gum right there on the seat. That girl made my insides tremble with fear, but it was the kind of fear that you liked.

"Rose, you never said what you were laughing about when you came down to the kitchen this morning. Did something funny happen that we missed out on?" asked Bella.

"Here comes Alice now. I'll chat with you girls later, I promise." Rose didn't answer the question. Instead she turned to watch Alice and Jasper jump up into the van and sit in the back seat. She then glanced at me over her shoulder before turning back around.

The rest of the van ride was filled with excited chatter of what to expect on our first day at work. We pulled up to the shop located at Mallory Square; I opened the door and climbed out to help the girls off the van. Alice and Bella climbed out first following Esme. Rose leaned out the door and held her hand out to me. I smiled and took her hand helping her off the van. She ever so slowly pulled her hand out of mine and as I watched her fingertips pull away I saw a white piece of paper in the palm of my hand. Yes this girl can definitely work her magic on me anytime. I closed my hand over the paper and looked up at her. Rose was stepping backward away from me as she gave a wink and a wave and turned to follow the rest of the girls. I carefully opened the paper Rose put in my hand so the guys behind me couldn't see. _If you find yourself thinking of me send a text (734) 250-0000. I'll be waiting, Rose._ Grinning from ear to ear I couldn't help but think, _she wants me_!

"Yo Emmett, you getting back on, or are you _getting off_ at this stop?" asked Jack.

Jasper and Edward burst out laughing at his remark. Yep, I believe it's going to be pick on Emmett day. Especially, when Jasper mentions what happened in the hall this morning. Man, am I going to be the butt of all the jokes today! No pun intended.

**JPOV**

I was laughing so hard my sides hurt. Edward was laughing just as hard; he had both hands on the seat in front of him to keep him from falling out of his seat.

"Emmett please don't let us stand in your way or anything. We'll make sure Carlisle holds the boat for, how long would you need? About 5 minutes?" I'm starting to like Edward even if he is playing with fire.

"And what would you know about that Golden Boy? No wait, it's more like Virgin Boy right?" Ouch, yes he's definitely playing with fire. Edward's cocky smirk turned into a frown and he slumped in his seat. I thought Emmett was joking with that crack but by the look on Edward's face I'm betting it's true. I couldn't help but laugh at both of them but if I didn't say something I knew the banter would keep going back and forth.

"Will you two quit it? I really don't care about your sex lives or lack thereof." Emmett simply flipped me off and Edward just glowered. In all honesty, I couldn't help but wonder about Emmett's sex life and if it would eventually include my sister. I'd noticed how he'd been acting around Rose the last two days and vice versa. After seeing Emmett's display in the hallway this morning and Rosalie's reaction, I think it is safe to say there is a definite attraction there. Frankly, I'd always thought they would make a good couple. Emmett needs someone to keep him in line and Rose needs someone who could put up with her. I decided to talk to Emmett about it and let him know he had my blessing if he wanted to pursue her with one stipulation; that he didn't screw her over.

We spent the rest of the ride listening to Jack sing along to Jimmy Buffet songs and eventually we all joined in.

_Wasted away again in Margaritaville,  
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt.  
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,  
But I know, it's my own damn fault._

What a site we must have been, four guys driving down a road full of tourists singing at the top of our lungs with all the windows down.

We pulled up to the Marina located not far from the shop. We hopped out of the van and followed Jack to the boat.

Carlisle was waiting for us on deck. "Welcome aboard the Maize and Blue Waters. She's 54' and is certified to allow 42 passengers but we never take more than 20 tourists out as there are only 5 of us to supervise the dives." (**A/N: Photo on profile) **He was talking directly to Edward, as this was his first time onboard. He then turned to the rest of us to give us the morning briefing as he called it. "Today we have a snorkel tour with exactly 20 guests all novice level. The seas are calm so we'll head out to Rock Key and perhaps the Eastern Dry Rocks. The group should be here in about an hour, which will give us time to prep. Edward, I'll give you a tour of the boat and then Emmett and Jasper can show you the ropes."

Edward followed Carlisle below deck and I turned to Jack. "Everything still in the same place Jack?"

"Did Hemmingway have six toed cats?"

"I will take that as a yes then Jack, thanks for the straight forward answer, smart ass."

Emmett and I began pulling the masks, fins and snorkels out for the divers including all emergency equipment that might be needed. We were just finishing up when Edward headed our way. "Hey guys. Wow, this is a really nice boat. So, show me the ropes."

I explained where we pulled all the equipment from and what the standard protocol was. Edward was PADI certified **(A/N: certified open water scuba diver)** like the rest of us so we didn't have to explain much when it came to snorkeling. His only disadvantage would be the locations but after a few dives you get to know the areas well.

We were lounging around waiting for our group when I noticed Emmett typing a text message to someone. Almost immediately his cell phone chirped signaling a text message response. He flipped his phone open, read the message and then typed something back. He had a mischievous smirk on his face the entire time. Edward and I looked at him expectantly but he wasn't going to share.

"Care to share Em?" I was curious and really bored at the moment.

"Nope."

"And why is that?"

"Cause it's none of your business. Was it for you? No, it was for me. Secrets are allowed you know. Dude, I don't have to tell you everything Jazz."

"Really, well maybe I should tell everyone about your hallway adventure this morning then. Because to be honest, I'm really no good at keeping secrets." I was lying of course but trying to goad him into to spilling. I knew he didn't want everyone to know about his towel mishap so I was using it to my advantage.

"I told you it was an accident. Honestly, I didn't mean it."

"What adventure this morning?" Edward was just as curious now.

"Emmett was playing naked time in the hallway with my sister. You see the moon was still out this morning." I couldn't hold it in anymore and I had to tell someone. I'd probably never get that text message out of him now but I really didn't care anyway.

Edward's eyes went wide. "You were doing that in the hallway? Can't you keep it in your room? I really don't want to see that, especially first thing in the morning."

"No Virgin Boy, I was not doing that with Rosalie in the hallway but I wouldn't mind. Oops, I said that out loud didn't I? Um, yeah Jasper I've been meaning to talk to you about that." He was shuffling his feet and looking at the deck.

"Em, it's fine man. I can tell you dig my sister and she for some strange reason digs you. It's a bit weird and I'm not sure why it's just now happening but it's cool. Just don't fuck her over or you will forever find Icy Hot in your jock strap! Deal?" It really didn't bother me if they dated or not but I'd still probably do the Icy Hot for the hell of it. What I wanted to know was everything about Alice and I planned on subtly asking Edward about her later.

Emmett winced at my Icy Hot threat but smiled and nodded. "Thanks man!"

"So is anyone going to tell me what happened in the hallway this morning?" Poor Edward was so out of the loop.

"Hallway, Rosalie, naked Emmett, towel dropping by accident, full moon, end of story." I decided to give him the condensed version.

"Ah, got it, glad I missed that show."

"So Em, the text messages?" I had to give it a shot.

"Well now that you know I want to get to know your sister in more ways than one, I guess I can tell you it's her I've been messaging back and forth with." Man, did he have to say things like that.

"Em, you really don't have to tell me about what your extracurricular plans with my sister are. Just tell me what the text message said. Wait, when did you get her number?"

"She slipped me her number as I helped her out of the van this morning. I was bored so I sent her a text which said I was thinking about her." That seemed innocent enough. "Wearing our snorkel gear and nothing else." Innocent went off the side of the boat with that.

"What was her response?" Why would Edward ask that? I no longer wanted to hear what the texts said.

"I got a LOL and then she said that they were all standing in the dressing room and one of them was naked. Naturally I asked who but didn't get a response." My sister was quite a flirt. I wonder if Emmett had any idea what he was getting into with her.

I had to keep my jaw from hitting the deck at the thought of Alice naked in a dressing room. That's the thing fantasies are made of. I obviously wasn't the only one thinking that as I saw Edward adjust himself while Emmett proudly showed off his reaction.

We all stood there for a moment in silent contemplation until finally the distraction I had been mentally begging for arrived.

"Looks like our group is here." Edward jutted his chin in the direction of the van that pulled up. Thank God! We all calmed ourselves down and turned towards the group only to come face to face with temptation itself. Fifteen beautiful girls wearing next to nothing and five older, female chaperones came spilling out of the van and were making their way towards the boat. Emmett was sporting an ear-to-ear grin while Edward looked stoic, wearing an emotionless mask, which I opted to mimic.

Carlisle came out of the wheelhouse to greet the group. "Ladies, welcome aboard the Maize and Blue Waters. Today we will be taking you out to Rock Key where the depth is 5-35 feet and is full of coral and sea life. I'm Carlisle, the Captain, and your dive instructors are Emmett, Jasper and Edward." He motioned to each of us as he introduced us. "So, why don't you ladies tell us where you're from?"

"We're Alpha Phi's from Alabama on a sorority sisters' bonding trip and boy are we glad we decided to try scuba." A very perky blonde with a Southern drawl decided to answer for the group. She was purposely sticking her chest out and it was quite obvious those were paid for.

"Well, actually we're going to be snorkeling. What was your name dear?" Carlisle used a very fatherly tone.

"Lauren Mallory! Okay, snorkel then…whatever, that's cool. You guys will be shirtless though right?" With that question all the girls giggled and I could see Edward shake his head and Emmett just had to be Emmett.

"Yup, shirts tend to get in the way." I wanted to throw Emmett off the side of the boat.

"Alright ladies, make yourselves at home in the cabin and we'll be on our way. Carlisle gestured them inside the cabin. Jack started the engine; we untied the lines and pushed away from the dock. It wasn't a long ride to Rock Key and the breeze felt nice.

We arrived at our dive spot and I couldn't help but stare in awe at the surrounding beauty. The water was as blue as hydrangeas and in some spots you could see all the way to the bottom. This place was truly a paradise.

Carlisle led the girls out of the cabin and all eyes were on us. I decided to get the show started, the faster we get in the water, the faster we get these girls back to the marina.

"Ladies, each of you will receive a pair of fins, a mask and a snorkel. The mask straps are adjustable as well as the fin straps. If you need any help, please ask me, Emmett or Edward. We ask that you buddy up with someone and stay close to the boat once you are in the water. Emmett, Edward and myself will be in the water too so please feel safe and enjoy the dive. As soon as all of you are ready, we'll get wet."

I saw a busty brunette lick her lips as she made her way towards me and I instantly regretted my last statement.

"Jasper, can you help me with my straps?"

"Um, sure. Put the mask on." I stood in front of her and adjusted the mask to fit properly.

"I'm Maria by the way."

"Uh, nice to meet you Maria. You're all set." I tried to walk away but she sidestepped so she was standing in front of me, her chest almost touching mine.

"You wanna be my buddy Jasper?" She took a step forward and her chest was now touching mine. I instinctively took a step back and frowned.

"Maria, you need to buddy up with someone from your group. We're only in the water in case of emergencies." I turned and made my way towards Emmett who looked like he was being accosted by that Lauren girl.

"Come on Emmett, it will be fun. I promise you won't regret it." She was running her finger down his chest and he looked very uncomfortable. He yelped and stepped away as his cell phone chirped signaling a text message.

"I've got to get this Lauren. Why don't you go wait with the other girls?" He sighed a sigh of relief as she sauntered away trying too hard to sway her hips. He opened his phone and his eyes almost popped out of his head.

"Another provocative text Em? What's it say this time or do I want to know?" My curiosity was piqued thanks to the earlier text messages. He showed me the text and it was a photo. I opened my mouth forming an O and rubbed the back of my neck. The photo was a girl wearing a wetsuit. The zipper was down passed her cleavage showing an ample amount of skin. The only problem was, it was from the neck down so there was no way to tell whom it was. The photo said _guess who_. These women are purposely trying to drive us crazy.

I motioned over to Edward who looked like he could use rescuing. A girl was trying to touch his hair and he kept moving his head around to avoid her touch while waving his hands at her in a stop motion. "Thank you for getting me out of the lion's den. That girl Jessica wouldn't stop trying to touch my hair. What is it with my hair?"

"Well you're just such a damn pretty boy Edward. Do you mind if I run my fingers through your hair too?" Emmett poked fun at him causing Edward to land a nice hard punch to his arm.

"Shit, that actually hurt!" whined Emmett with a surprised look on his face and changed the subject. "Here, take a look at this."

Emmett showed him the photo and he had the same reaction as we did. He gulped and asked if we had any idea who it was. Emmett and I shrugged and we all stood there for a moment contemplating which of the girls it was.

We were pulled from our daydreaming by Carlisle.

"You boys going to get this show on the road or stare at each other?"

"Sorry Carlisle." Edward was running his hand through his hair. And he wonders why girls want to touch it; it stands up all over the place looking like a disheveled mess. They're probably trying to help him tame it.

We moved over to the stern of the boat where there was a raised platform making it easer to get in and out of the water. We all took off our shirts and for once I wished it was easier to swim with them on, fifteen sets of eyes were on us and there were quite a few loud gasps.

Emmett cleared his throat and addressed the group. "Ladies, if you'll make your way to the platform. Just sit down and you can easily lower yourself into the water. If you go under, simply blow air into the snorkel to clear the water. We'll all be in the water if you need us. We'll let you snorkel for two hours and then we'll head back."

Edward and I jumped in the water to assist any of the girls that needed help, which of course every single one did. I saw Edward grimace several times and understood why when a certain Maria grazed my crotch. Once each girl was in the water Emmett dove in to join us.

"I feel like I've been violated." Edward stated with a frown but we all laughed it off and treaded water for a while.

Normally I would enjoy being in the water but I honestly wanted to get as far away from these girls as possible. They weren't making it easier on any of us. They purposely went out of their way to swim up to us, brush by us, touch us and out right try and fondle us.

"Jessica, can you please go back to your buddy? No, I'm not giving you a ride on my back." Edward was trying to be polite but I could see annoyance in his eyes. I heard him let out an umph and noticed her hand moving away from his torso. Did she just grab his crotch? He swam away from her trying to give himself some distance.

"Damnit Lauren, will you stop trying to feel me up? Coral, fish, ocean, go enjoy them. And don't leave your buddy!" Emmett on the other hand wasn't so polite.

I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. Normally, men would be ecstatic to have his choice of fifteen beautiful women but the thought of Alice made any other girl obsolete. I thought now was the time to try and chat with Edward about her. I swam over to him; he was far enough away from the group.

"Hey, can you believe these girls?" I was chuckling as I spoke.

"Are all college girls like this? What would their mothers think?" He was shaking his head but smiling all the while.

"No, not all college girls are like this but unfortunately some sorority girls are. Just ignore them, that's what I do. So, are you or Alice pledging?" I couldn't think of a subtle way to ask about her.

"God no, that's not our thing. Alice doesn't get along with many girls for some reason. I can't understand why, she's a sweetheart."

"She is a sweetheart. Maybe girls are intimidated? She seems to get along great with my sister and Bella though."

"They do get along well and I'm really happy to see her make new friends. What do you mean intimidated?"

"By her beauty of course." I didn't mean for that to be said aloud but now that it's out there, no going back. "I mean she's got great fashion sense and she is the energizer bunny."

"Beauty? So you find my sister attractive? It's all right Jasper; I've seen the way you two look at each other. It's so obvious and you two aren't doing a good job at concealing it."

"That obvious huh? Well now that we're on the subject. Is she seeing anyone?" I thought I'd cut to the chase, if she's taken there is no point in pursuing her.

"No, she's single. She's a spunky little pixie though so I hope you're prepared. You will definitely have your hands full." He was laughing but I knew he was right.

"So you're okay with it? I mean, me and your sister." I didn't need his permission but wanted to make sure he'd be all right with it. We were going to be playing on the same team and I certainly didn't want any ill will between us.

"Jasper, I'm not her Father and Alice is a big girl. She can make her own decisions but just know that if you hurt her, I won't be aiming at Emmett's glove on the field." He had a serious yet concerned look on his face. I appreciated his protectiveness of Alice; it reminded me of the same protectiveness I had of Rose. His statement also reminded me of what I said to Emmett earlier.

"Point taken." I swam over to my original spot putting the three of us in a triangular position. I saw Maria swim over to me and mentally groaned.

"Jasper, my mask keeps falling off. Can you fix it?"

"Sure Maria, turn around." I didn't want to give her an opportunity to rub her chest on me again. Not a wise choice however because she backed up and was now rubbing her ass on the front of my swim trunks. I quickly pushed her away while yelling a quick, all fixed.

The last hour dragged on and I couldn't wait to get this tour over with. We helped the girls onboard and gathered all the equipment. The girls were drying off and I hovered near Emmett and Edward thinking there was safety in numbers.

Emmett decided to have a little fun and wanted to get the girls back for their earlier text messages. He glanced over to the flock of sorority girls all toweling off. They were bent over in different positions and some barely had their swimsuits on. He grinned and snapped a photo. He typed a message that read, _us boys are having fun too_, and hit send. That was going to thoroughly piss the girls off.

Edward didn't think it was too funny and neither did I but I rationalized. "Edward, they've been teasing us all day. Alls fair in love and war." Maybe it was a twin thing, but I could sense Rose was going to be thoroughly pissed off about Emmett's little stunt.

He simply shrugged his shoulders and we went back to staring out at the deep blue sea. Luckily the girls stuck to themselves the entire ride back to the marina but it didn't keep them from undressing us with their eyes.

We arrived back at the marina and the girls started to disembark. I'm not sure where they pulled the paper and pens out of but we all ended up with a phone number.

Jessica, Lauren and Maria all decided it would be comical to shove their numbers down the front of our trunks. None of us found it comical however and quickly, almost shoving them off the boat, bid our farewells and wished them a good remainder of their vacation.

"I feel dirty." Edward was shaking his head pulling scraps of paper out of his shorts.

"I think this is the first time I didn't enjoy getting felt up by a chick. And to think, I didn't even have to ask for it. I'm losing my mojo." Emmett hung his head in mock exasperation.

"I just need a shower but first I'm going to ask Carlisle to stop booking sororities." We all laughed it off and began the scrub down of the boat and equipment.

We finally finished for the day and met Jack and Carlisle at the van. We were headed towards the shop to pick up the girls eager to find out the mystery of the wetsuit. What we weren't prepared for however, was their reaction to the photo Emmett sent. It was going to be a long night.

**A/N: Well, the boys had quite a fun day out at sea. Wonder how their sea legs will hold up once they hit dry land and start to feel the tremors resulting from that text pic Emmett sent! Stay tuned for the wrath of Rose! Hope you are all enjoying the story thus far. We are having a great time writing it for you! Don't forget to review so you will receive our next teaser!!**


	9. When Good Texts Go Bad

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story; we hold no rights to them otherwise.**

**A/N: Thank you for the encouraging reviews! We are happy to see that you like where the story is going so far and that you look forward to the updates. Hope you are enjoying the little teasers. We also want to thank everyone for your suggestions and advice! Now on with the story, because we know you want to find out which girl is in the wetsuit pic that Emmett received!**

_Previously: What we weren't prepared for however, was their reaction to the photo Emmett sent. It was going to be a long night._

**RPOV**

It was our first day working at Atlantic Eclipse Charters and I was really looking forward to it. I loved being able to spend so much time with Bella and was enjoying getting to know Alice, my future-shopping buddy. I could really see us becoming the best of friends. I could tell my brother really liked Alice; I have never seen him react to a girl the way he does her. Normally, he shies away from girls. Jasper comes across as a calm and collected person but when it comes to girls he just doesn't know how to deal with the barrage of emotions that come with the package, so he deflects and avoids. Alice on the other hand is the polar opposite, hyper and out going. There was something, that pulled these complete opposites toward each other and I had no intention of standing in their way.

There was also something quite intense building between Bella and Edward. Bella is the quiet, insecure girl next door and Edward seems to be the shy, brooding type. They were definitely meant for each other, like two sides of a magnet pulling each other closer out of necessity and need as if they were meant for each other. Thinking of the budding relationships around me helped my mind wander to Emmett. Why had I never noticed him before? I suppose it's because I was busy with school and work and he was busy with school and baseball. Living on opposite sides of campus probably didn't help along with the "bro's code of conduct" the baseball team lived by. They had this silly rule that no one was allowed to date a sister of a teammate. I was ready to prove that rule ridiculous and unnecessary and based on Emmett's advances I was sure he was ready to prove its irrelevancy too.

Emmett's display in the hallway this morning gave me my first true ounce of hope. I know his antics were completely unintentional but I couldn't help but giggle at the memory. He was so shocked to see me standing mere inches from him. When he practically dropped his towel I couldn't stop my eyes wandering, taking in every inch of his perfect physique. He seemed to enjoy my ogling as he faintly flexed his pectoral muscles and made no move to wrap the towel around himself. My eyes finally made it to his face and he was grinning ear to ear with a '_like what you see'_ look on his face. Of course my lovely brother had to interrupt our moment, which made Emmett's cocky grin turn to one of pure embarrassment. I hope he was reassured by my exiting comment. Just in case he was still hesitant, I was going to give him a little push.

We pulled up to the shop and Emmett hopped out of the van. He offered his hand to me and assisted me down; I hadn't known Emmett to be the chivalrous type. I had built up enough courage and was ready to make my move. During the short ride I wrote my number down on a small strip of paper and when Emmett went to release my hand I held on hoping he would grip what I was offering. He took the bait perfectly and I simply gave him a seductive smirk and sashayed into the building.

"Well? Is it later?" Bella was waiting for me the moment I got into the shop with a perky Alice by her side.

"What are you talking about?" Alice was bouncing up and down and obviously didn't like being in the dark.

"Something had Rosalie in hysterics this morning and she wouldn't tell me in the van. She said she'd tell us together later and now it is officially later."

"Yup, it's later. So, I was on my way downstairs this morning when I bumped into Emmett. We didn't actually bump into each other but me standing in the hallway shocked him enough that I got a bit of a peep show."

"WHAT?" Alice and Bella screamed in unison.

"He was wearing a towel which was a bit too small in my opinion. He said he was on his way to tell Edward the shower was free but when he saw me he lost his grip on the towel. It fell and all but covered his manly bits." I couldn't help but giggle at the memory.

"Oh, that _is_ funny. So? Did you like what you saw?" Alice was smirking as she said this but poor Bella was now a bit uncomfortable.

"All I can say is W.O.W.! I mean, that man has a body that could and hopefully will rock my world." I sighed and began to fan myself.

"Ew Rosalie, please stop. This is my brother we're discussing."

We all laughed at the absurdity of Emmett's Full Monty reenactment and went to find Esme to begin our day. She showed us the basics of the shop including the cash register, credit card machine, dressing rooms, stock room and the stereo system. Esme left to take care of some business and left us in charge. We put on a Jack Johnson CD, turned up the music and opened the doors for business.

We had just opened and I was already bored. Alice was busy looking through the bikinis and trying to coax Bella into trying some on. My phone beeped signaling a text message and I got excited knowing it was Emmett. I flipped open my phone and sure enough it was.

_Rosie,  
__Thinking about you,  
Wearing our snorkel gear  
__And nothing else.  
__Em_

Okay, so maybe he's not really that chivalrous after all. Who cares about chivalry, that message was hot. Is he really thinking about me naked because I know I can't get his naked body out of my mind? I decided to respond with something just as naughty but couldn't think of anything to say.

My eyes wandered over to the bikini racks where Bella and Alice had been but they were no longer there. I looked around clueless as to where they went until I heard Bella's complaints coming from the dressing room. I made my way over but stopped at the doorway to listen to their exchange.

"No Alice, No." It sounded like Bella had her teeth clenched.

"Come on Bella, it'll look perfect on you!"

"Alice, there isn't anything to that. Its, its just a strip of cotton. No, actually it's a doily Alice."

"It's not a doily Bella, it's a bikini and you will look fab in it. I bet you _Edward _would love to see you in it." I could hear the teasing smirk in her voice.

"Alice I have no idea what you're talking about." Denial ain't just a river in Egypt Bella.

"Don't play coy with me Isabella Swan. I know you like my brother and what better way to get his attention?" I could picture the little pixie with her hands on her hips and her chin jutted out.

"Fine, give me the damn doily but it doesn't mean I will EVER wear it." I knew she'd give in to Alice eventually.

"Bikini Bella and you WILL."

I couldn't silence my laughter any longer so I started to walk into the dressing area. "What are you two arguing about?" The site before me was a Kodak moment. Bella was standing there stark naked with a forceful pixie standing in front of her shoving a bikini in her face. Bella turned towards me and her face turned crimson; she tried to cover herself with the white garment but it wasn't covering much.

"Oops. Sorry." I turned around but almost doubled over in laughter. "Well, put the damn thing on Bella. I want to see your Edward lure."

"Humph." Bella wasn't happy but she obliged. She did actually look phenomenal in it and if that didn't get Edward's attention it certainly would any other man on the island.

"Damn Bella, looking hot! Edward won't know what hit him." She simply blushed more at my comment and began to change back into her work clothes.

"Told you! You are so getting it and don't say a word 'cause I AM buying it for you." Alice was triumphant and she grabbed the bikini away from Bella before she could protest.

This gave me the idea I needed for my naughty reply to Emmett. He had nakedness on the brain so I would happily oblige him but it wouldn't be me I was talking about. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. And I was certain he'd share this little text message with the other boys, which would get them all worked up.

_Em,  
__We're in the dressing room  
__One of us is naked.  
__Wait 'til you see what was bought.  
__R_

I giggled as I shut the phone and walked over to the register. I barely made it two steps before my phone was beeping again.

_R,  
__Who? Come on, tell me.  
__Is it you?  
__Em_

I got the exact reaction I had hoped for. I didn't have time to respond or tell the girls about my little tease because a sea of customers walked into the shop.

I looked at the clock and what had felt like hours was only about 30 minutes. I realized I hadn't told the girls about my text exchange with Emmett. I wanted to reply to him but I again got a bit of a creative block. I saw Alice helping a blonde, surfer type with the wetsuits and a light bulb went off in my head.

"Alice, when you're done with Bodhi from Point Break over there can you help me with something?"

"Sure thing Rose." The surfer dude chuckled at my comparison but went back to flirting with Alice.

I was beginning to get impatient and he obviously wasn't going to buy a wetsuit. It was time to bring out the mega-bitch.

"Bodhi, are you going to purchase one or not? Because if you're just biding your time to work up the courage to ask for our resident pixie's number you're wasting your time. See, she's got a boyfriend and he's more like a Brad Pitt from Legends of the Fall. To put it nicely, you have no chance in hell. You have a better chance of getting a bad case of reef rash on that overly tanned ass of yours. Got it? So, you buying a wetsuit or not?"

He gulped, shook his head and was out the door faster than Bill and Ted could say righteous. Alice simply scowled at me.

"What'd you do that for? And since when am I dating Tristan?"

"Since you started drooling over my brother." I said as matter-of-factly as I could. I had my hands on my hips waiting for her to retaliate but she simply rolled her eyes at me.

"So, what was so important that you had to run off Patrick Swayze?"

"Grab Bella and I'll fill you both in."

Alice ran over to the counter dragging a confused Bella with her. "K, we're both here and you have our undivided attention. So what's this about?"

"Well, I didn't mention that I slipped Emmett my number this morning. I was hoping he'd _think_ of me at some point and call but instead I got a text message _AND _it didn't take him very long to send it. Like, within an hour my phone was blowing up."

"Slick move Rose. So what did his message say?" Alice's interest was piqued.

"That he was practically picturing me naked wearing snorkel gear." I said it so nonchalantly, like it was an every day occurrence.

"That's my brother for you." Bella let out a sigh.

"And? What did you respond with?" Alice was back to bouncing. Does this girl ever calm down?

"Um, I said that we were in the dressing room and one of us was naked but I didn't say who so don't freak out on me Bella." I knew I had to add the last bit in the minute I saw Bella's eyes go wide as panic set in.

"Rose, why did you tell him that! Oh my God! He, he, he's going to tell the guys." Bella was definitely panicking. I wish she could see this was an advantage for her.

"Bella, calm down. Look, you're right, Emmett probably did tell Jasper and Edward but that's what I was hoping for. The boys aren't going to be able to shake the image of a naked girl out of their minds _AND _I have a good idea who each of them will be picturing. Putty in our hands ladies, watch and learn little B." I was hoping she would see this as a good thing and perhaps be delighted in the aspect of Edward daydreaming about her.

"I guess there was no harm done. I mean, they don't know it was me right?" She finally saw my reasoning even if it was only partially.

"Of course they don't know and they never will. We'll just let their imaginations run wild." I wasn't about to tell her my text also said something was purchased. I'm sure Edward would figure that part out eventually.

"Oh Rose, I'm glad we're on the same side. You are a sneaky vixen." Alice gave me a high five.

"Thanks Al. Now this is what I need your help with, I never responded to Em's text asking who it was that was naked. I thought we could tease the boys just a little bit more."

"I'm all ears!" Alice was really enjoying this as much as I was, Bella simply groaned.

"I'm going to put on a wetsuit and leave it unzipped as far as I can without my chest giving me away. I want you to photograph me from the neck down so the boys will have no idea who is in the photo. We're all pasty white thanks to the Michigan winter and we're all about the same cup size give or take so as long as I take off the push bra they'll never know."

"I LIKE IT! Grab a wetsuit and I'll meet you in the dressing room." Alice was beaming and even Bella was smirking at this point. Eventually she'll learn the art of the tease.

Alice snapped the photo with my phone and I typed a quick message saying, _guess who, _and hit send. I didn't get an immediate response like the last time so I imagined the boys were all slack jawed and utterly speechless. Yeah, I get that response all the time.

The day passed by quickly and before I knew it was almost time to close up shop. There weren't any customers at the moment; Bella was sweeping the floor and Alice was straightening the clothing racks as I was closing the register. I heard my phone beep and yelled for the girls that we finally got a response. Alice and Bella made their way over to the counter, eyes wide in anticipation. We were all smiling as I flipped my phone open. My smile was immediately replaced with a scowl. THIS, I was not prepared for. THIS was a low blow.

"What is it?" Alice questioned.

"Rose?" Bella didn't like my silence.

"THAT SON OF A…." It was pretty clear I was pissed off. "I can't believe him! I can't believe ALL of them! LOOK, look what we got in response!" I shoved the phone in their faces. Immediately their faces went from frowns to glares complete with flaring nostrils.

"What the F is that? Who the F are those girls? What do they mean they're having fun?" Alice was no longer bouncing; she looked like she was ready to pounce.

"Those girls are really pretty. There are so many of them." Bella simply hung her head and her face became sad.

"Bella, don't you dare go all self-deprecating on me. I've told you time and time again how beautiful you are. Did you SEE yourself in that doily? Look ladies, those _girls_ don't hold a thing when it comes to us. The boys want to have their fun, then we'll just have to show them how much fun we can have too." I was furious and I was ready to teach the boys a lesson.

"Damn straight! I say we play a little game shall we?" I knew I liked Alice.

"What kind of game?" It was going to take some coercing on our parts to get Bella to participate.

"Its called payback is a bitch!" I was ready to play.

"Basically Bella, we are going to make the boys not just notice us but also see just how desirable we truly are. They think having a handful of cheap floozies undress in front of them shows how hot and desirable they are? Nope, we're going to show them that we can get ten times as many hot bodied and willing men to hang on our every word." Alice was one vindictive little pixie.

"Alice, you are brilliant! I can't wait to show them they shouldn't fuck with these three gorgeous ladies. They're going to wish they never sent that photo." I was anxious now; I wanted to make Emmett jealous and I wanted to show him that I could get anyone I wanted even if it was only him I truly did want.

"Um, okay I guess I can do that but I'm not sure I know how to flirt." Poor Bella, poor insecure Bella. If she only saw herself clearly.

"Bells honey, you just follow our lead and you'll be fine. In fact, I don't think you're even going to have to open your mouth." Bella smiled shyly at me and we stepped outside to await the van.

"Remember ladies, we are pissed. No talking. No touching. No eye contact." Alice should have been in the military.

The van pulled up and the guys hopped out. I was about to step into the van when someone grabbed my hand to help me up. I turned and saw Emmett looking at me with puppy dog eyes but I wasn't having that. I yanked my hand out of his grasp and took the back seat. He slouched his shoulders and jumped into the van making his way to the seat next to me.

"It's taken." It came out full of animosity and I felt a bit guilty. He hung his head and took the seat in front behind Jack. I saw Jasper try and assist Alice but he backed off the minute she screeched, "Don't touch me." She took the seat next to me and Jasper, looking deflated, took the seat next to Emmett. Edward looked confused and sad at the same time. He put his hand out to offer it to Bella but she looked away from him and looked at me instead. I gave her a stern nod and she hopped into the van avoiding his hand and not once making eye contact with him. He looked like someone had run over his dog. He ran his hand through his hair and took the seat behind Emmett. There were several times during the ride back to the house where all three of them turned around and tried to make eye contact with us but our resolve was firm. We were three very pissed off women and as much as we hated to admit it, we were jealous too.

**APOV**

The words came out sounding rather harsh as I strongly warned Jasper not to touch me. All I could picture was him helping a bunch of half naked skanks all day out on the love boat. It was making me angrier by the minute and jealousy induced revenge was the top priority on my list. He thinks he's going to help me into this van, Oh Hell No! I am in a way higher class than those sleeze bags. I don't need to act helpless around a man to get him to touch me. If he wants me he's going to have to work for it.

Brushing him off like a piece of lint I made my way back to the seat Rose was saving next to her. I sat down crossing my arms at my chest as I watched Jasper sit up front by Emmett. If I wasn't so mad at him right now, the sad look on his face could have broken my heart and my resolve. As far as I was concerned they all had it coming.

Bella was climbing into the van and was looking at Rose with a very uncomfortable look on her face. Poor Bella was in such turmoil and it showed. She didn't have the confidence to believe Edward would be interested in her in the first place, then just as they are beginning to be comfortable around each other and talk, the guys pull this stunt and she goes right back into her shell. Way to go Emmett! Yes, one more reason to pay them back!

"Good job, don't worry about it little B," encouraged Rose.

"Sure, sure" answered Bella.

I turned a bit sideways in my seat and was trying to listen in to the boys' conversation. Jasper was having a few words with Emmett and they all had frowns on their faces.

"Man, you just opened yourself a big can of whoop ass! You know this is entirely your fault right?" growled Jasper.

"What did I do?" Emmett was clueless as Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and just shook his head.

"Hello!? This silent treatment is all because of you idiot. Thanks a lot Mr. Text Message!" Jasper was fuming, as he remained silent for the rest of the ride.

I turned my attention back to the girls with a satisfied grin.

"When we get to the house I'll let Esme know that we are having a girls' night in our room and won't be having dinner with them. You both can go to the kitchen to gather up some food, drinks and munchies. We will meet back on the balcony so we can start our plans." I told them.

"Great!" said the Rose and Bella in unison.

Rose's lips were pursed together as she stared out the window and Bella was staring down at the floor and playing with a piece of her hair. I kept seeing the boys taking frustrated glances back at us but we didn't crack. We refused to look at them and it ended up being a very quiet ride home. As Jack pulled the van in front of the house, we opened the van door and hopped out before the guys even got out of their seats. I looked back once before I walked in the doorway and they were all staring open mouthed. Turning my head with a snap, I proceeded inside to find Esme.

"Hi Alice, the hamburgers are ready for dinner. I hope everyone is hungry." She announced.

"That's great!" I told her. "Do you mind if the girls and I take ours back to our room? We're going to have a girls' night and talk about our first day at work. We'll probably eat out on the balcony if that's okay?"

"That sounds fun Alice" she replied. "I don't mind at all. Just take what you need from the kitchen."

"Thanks Esme, you are wonderful. Rose and Bella are in the kitchen now." I said with a smile.

"Well, let me help them pack a few things to bring up with them." And she turned toward the kitchen.

I was so anxious to get down to the planning that I was jogging up the stairs just as the boys were coming in the door. I heard Esme tell them to get cleaned up and be in the kitchen in 10 minutes for dinner. That would be perfect; the girls will be back up here before the guys even realize we won't be joining them for dinner.

I opened the doors to the balcony and arranged the small table and chairs for us. I also plugged my ipod into the speakers and chose some Lily Allen to put us in the mood.

Within 5 minutes Bella was making her way through the door with a tray full of food. Rose was right behind her carrying a tray of glasses and a pitcher of lemonade. Setting everything down, we unloaded the food and decided to eat first before we got down to business. I didn't realize how hungry I was.

Rose had flipped her phone open again and was staring at Emmett's photo with fury in her eyes. "I just can't believe he would think it was funny to send me a pic like that!"

"Well, that's the male mentality for you." I said. "They don't think."

"Don't be so sure about that." said Bella with her eyebrows raised. "I know Emmett and I think he very well may have been trying to be funny and he was doing that to get a reaction out of you. I just don't think he knew the reaction would be so strong."

Rosalie huffed and snapped her phone shut. "Two can play at that game. We need to come up with some ways to get them back."

"Alright, what kind of ideas do you have?" I asked.

"How about orajel in their underwear? That would slow down their mojo!" exclaimed Rose as we all laughed.

At that moment, there were voices below us. The guys were heading out to the pool. This gave me an idea. I motioned for the girls to stay quiet and follow me into the room.

"What's up Alice?" asked Bella.

"Since the boys are out by the pool that means no one is in their rooms!" I pointed out.

"We can get into their stuff," whispered Rose. "Let's go!"

We giggled and headed toward the bedroom door. I turned the handle but before I opened the door all the way something made me pause. I could hear footsteps coming down the hall. We all huddled together to see who it was as we peered through the slight opening.

"I sure hope the girls are having a nice time. I missed having them at dinner with us" commented Carlisle.

"I'm sure they're fine," said Esme. "Girls like to have girl time. It was nice to be able to chat with the boys. I can't believe they had to deal with those crazy Sorority girls on their first day. It's a good thing you were there to look out for them."

"Honey, they didn't need my help at all. You would've been proud of them. They remained very professional in such a tempting situation. In fact, I had the impression that they were trying to stay as far away from those girls as possible. They were doing a great job of looking out for each other. Those girls never had a chance." Carlisle's voice drifted off as they continued down the hall to their room.

I think we stayed frozen on the spot, not saying a word, until our legs started to fall asleep from being crouched down like we were.

"Ouch!" moaned Rose as she tried to stand back up.

Bella and I both plopped back onto our butts on the floor and stretched out our legs trying to wake them up.

"Did you hear that?" asked Bella and she smiled looking relieved.

"Wow" I said in reply and found myself smiling too. "I guess we have to give them a bit of credit don't we?"

"They still shouldn't get off the hook so easily though," Rosalie stated. "They still need to prove to us that they are worth our time. We are in Florida and there are a whole lot of men out on the beach to pick from."

We all nodded in agreement, Bella somewhat hesitantly. We had a lot of work to do on her yet. I know Edward she has every bit of his attention. Making the guys prove it was one way to help boost her self-esteem, I was sure of it.

"Maybe we should go back on the balcony and see if they notice us." Bella suggested.

"Oh, I kind of had that same idea but my plan is to _make sure_ that they notice us. Now take off those work clothes ladies." I ordered.

"You want us to go out there naked!" Bella's voice cracked as she began to blush.

"I could do that." Rose smirked as she peeked back out the balcony doors. "I'd make Emmett forget he even saw any other women today." Bella's eyes were round as saucers as she giggled shyly.

"Rose, somehow I don't doubt you would." I remarked. She is so confident in herself there's absolutely no hint of shyness about Rose. "Since we all could wear the same size, I have the perfect outfits to pop their eyes out. Now, get out of those clothes and I will be right back."

I ran to the closet and searched for what I had in mind. I'm not sure what made me buy all of these babydoll pajamas but it probably had to do with the fact that they were so darn cute and on sale. They will definitely be perfect for this mission. I skipped back out into the room and to see Bella and Rose sitting on the edge of the bed in just their under clothes. I knew just which pajama would look best on each of them. I tossed Rose the red pleated babydoll and Bella the white daisy lace babydoll. I kept the sexy yellow polka-dotted one for myself since it looked the most fun. **(A/N: Photos on profile)**

"This is so pretty." Bella said in awe. "And a bit see through."

"That's the point Bella. It's all about the tease. Hurry up and put it on. I want to see how it looks on you." I was bouncing up and down with excitement.

"The devil wore red, Alice I love it!" Rose was admiring the pajamas and quickly pulling off her bra so she could try it on. It fit her perfectly and left little to the imagination, as her cleavage was very prominent.

"Oh, wait!" I remembered. "Here are the panties to go with them." I tossed them each the matching bottoms. "These are all brand new. Bought them at the mall on the way to the airport so if you really like them, you are welcome to keep them as my gift." I smiled with a devilish grin in my eye.

"Thank you Alice" they both said as we finished changing into our new babydolls.

We admired each other's outfit. There was a boost of confidence as it made our playful side quite obvious. Each one of us looked very sexy. I knew the boys would be trying like crazy to get closer to us after seeing what we were wearing. We touched up our hair and makeup then decided to stay barefoot. Bella was looking at herself in the full-length mirror. The white babydoll really stood out against the tan of her skin from being by the pool the other day. She had perfect curves in all the right places and I could tell she was not used to looking at herself this way. She seemed in a daze as Rose and I walked up behind her. We each put a hand on her shoulder and smiled into the mirror.

"You look absolutely beautiful Bella Swan," I assured her. "My brother is already attracted to you and he is going to lose his mind when he gets a look at you in this outfit." Bella grinned at her reflection but there was still nervousness in her eyes.

"Hurry up girls, it sounds like they may be getting out of the pool. We better get out there and do a little star gazing!" Rose was quickly heading to the balcony doors.

We all held each other's hand and gave a quick squeeze before heading out the doors. Sure enough the boys were standing by the edge of the pool and were drying off with their towels. Rose took the opportunity to make sure they noticed us. She leaned over the railing pointing toward the clear night sky.

"Look, I see the North Star!" She exclaimed quite loudly. We all looked up at the stars, even the boys.

I quickly looked back down to see the reaction from down by the pool which was priceless. What happened next seemed to be going in slow motion in my eyes. In just a matter of minutes, Jasper and Edward turned to look toward the sky following the directions from the voice they heard. Emmett on the other hand, turned to look up and see where the voice was coming from. I was sure he had not expected the view he was greeted with. Rose was on her tiptoes pointing toward the sky. The bottom of her babydoll top was flowing out over the railing, which I am betting gave him an interesting view of her stomach to the bottom swells of her breasts. His towel was half dragging on the ground and when he tried to take a few steps closer to the balcony he stumbled. Waving his arms frantically Emmett attempted to catch his balance but then tripped over the chair. By the time Edward and Jasper turned to see what was going on, Emmett crashed right into both of them sending them all into the pool in a giant cannon ball effect.

Bella and I quickly joined Rose and leaned over the rail. We burst into uncontrollable laughter as we watched the boys thrash their way out of the pool.

"Emmett what the hell is your malfunction!" Jasper yelled.

"Are you trying to drown us or something?" asked Edward angrily.

Emmett was treading water to stay afloat, "I…I…look!" He pointed up towards our balcony.

Edward looked like a deer in headlights as his eyes caught sight of Bella. I think he was trying to say something because his mouth was moving but no words were coming out. Smooth one bro.

Jasper got the biggest grin on his face when he saw me. I could just imagine what was going through his mind. I may have to ask him when we decide to talk to them again.

"Girls, it's getting a bit chilly, we should go inside." I said so all could hear me.

Bella looked down once again at Edward. She smiled at him and I saw him wink back.

Rose licked her lips seductively at Emmett and put an arm around Bella as they turned and walked back into the room.

After staring into Jaspers gazing eyes one last time, I turned hesitantly and ran back into the bedroom hearing Emmett yell to us.

"Hey! Wait!" and I closed the door before he had a chance to say anything else.

Rose and Bella were lying on the bed smiling at me.

"Sure looks like we accomplished our goal tonight." Rose beamed as Bella giggled beside her.

"I think we did girls, in fact I know we did." I announced proudly. "Now get some sleep. We need to wake up early so we can be down to breakfast before the boys. I was thinking that we could go out to a club or a bar tomorrow night? I don't think we're done teaching the boys a lesson just yet. A peep show in a teddy is nothing compared to what they'll see tomorrow night."

We all said our goodnights and I turned out the lamp. As I closed my eyes Jaspers adorable face was the last thing I saw before falling fast asleep.

**A/N: Next chapter, see who holds the key to the Key West nightlife. Will it be the boys or the girls? Remember, reviews garner a teaser for next chapter. **


	10. Booty Drops and Skimpy Clothes

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story; we hold no rights to them otherwise.**

**A/N: ****We're very happy to see that so many of you are stopping in to read our chapters. Please leave reviews, we do read them all and we take into consideration all suggestions and comments. Thank you to all the readers who leave us their reviews on a regular basis. Your encouraging words are wonderful!**

_Previously: "I don't think we're done teaching the boys a lesson just yet. A peep show in a teddy is nothing compared to what they'll see tomorrow night."_

**EPOV**

I woke up to the sound of pouring rain. I'm not sure how much sleep I actually got but my body felt like I hadn't slept at all. Images of Bella in her babydoll kept me awake all night. I imagined having my way with her on the balcony, bending her over the railing, taking her on the chaise lounge and then on the stairs. I was so turned on by my vivid imagination that I had to take matters into my own hands, literally.

I awoke still frustrated however in more ways than one. I was furious with Emmett for sending that photo. I tried to tell him it was a bad idea but Jasper seemed to agree with him so I let it go. I don't think any of us were expecting the furious reaction we received. Bella wouldn't even look at me, she wouldn't acknowledge my presence at all and the silent treatment was killing me. We were just starting to get to know each other and now I was back to square one.

What I couldn't understand was the performance on the balcony. If the girls were so upset with us, why tease us? Then it hit me, they were getting back at us and what a glorious punishment it was. I was going to have to prove to Bella that I was interested in her and no one else. First, I had to get her to at least speak to me and I had a feeling that was going to be easier said than done.

I quickly showered, put on my work clothes and headed downstairs. I was hoping to get a moment alone with Bella to explain things but when I reached the kitchen it was a sea of testosterone.

"Where are the girls?" My voice sounded panicked.

"Good morning to you too Edward. Coffee?" Carlisle was chipper as always.

"Sorry, Carlisle. Good morning and yes please." I reached for the cup Carlisle handed me and made my way to the stools at the bar next to Emmett and Jasper who looked somber. Carlisle headed upstairs and I took my seat.

"Hey guys, where are the girls?" I was hoping someone would finally answer my damn question.

"They left earlier this morning before we came downstairs." Jasper stated with a morose tone while Emmett grunted and shifted in his seat.

"Why? The shop doesn't open for another hour." I directed my question at Jasper who seemed to be the only one speaking this morning. Why would they leave so early? The likely reason was they were avoiding us like the plague.

"Carlisle said something about them helping Esme with inventory but I think we all know the real reason why they took off so early."

"Will you just drop it Jasper? Damn, the girls got their panties in a bunch but they'll get over it. It was a joke!" Emmett finally spoke trying to sound irritated but it came out more contrite.

"Really Emmett? Get over it Emmett? Have you noticed they haven't spoken to us since yesterday morning Emmett? Don't you realize why they left early Emmett?" Jasper was fuming.

"Dude, why do you keep saying my name? That's annoying. Anyway, yeah I noticed but if they were so pissed off then why the burlesque show last night on the balcony huh?"

"They're trying to teach us a lesson and teasing us is their choice method." I tried to put it in layman's terms for Emmett.

"Nu-uh, showing off your goods in a nightie ain't punishment. That was more like a treat." Emmett just didn't get it.

"A _treat? _So Emmett, I bet you'd like to see Rosalie's nightie up close right? Or better yet, how about what's underneath that nightie?" Jasper was obviously better at breaking it down to _Emmett_ level.

"Hell yeah! Duh, Jasper. Like you and Edward wouldn't jump at the chance with Alice and Bella. Geez, Jazzman..dense much?" He clearly didn't get it still.

"Well Einstein, you don't have a chance in hell of ever seeing that nightie again. I hope you stored a very descriptive image in that empty head of yours." Jasper was nudging Emmett's head with his knuckle.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I was beginning to lose my patience with Emmett.

"It means they were teasing us. They wanted us to see them in those outfits but they have no plans on taking it any farther than that. They were making a point Emmett, that they are far better looking than those sorority girls. AND, they were giving us a glimpse of what we can never have all thanks to your photo message." He's _got _to grasp it now. If not, my next option was to pound it into his head. Any lingering trace of patience had now gone out the window. I stood up, ran my hand through my hair and began to pace.

Emmett's mouth formed an _O _and he started shaking his head. "Shit, that's just mean."

Jasper and I both sighed and shook our heads. "It may seem mean to you but to them its seemingly fitting and we deserve every ounce of retribution the girls dole out." Jasper nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'm starting to understand now. I guess I wasn't thinking about the backlash when I sent that pic. So, how do we fix it?" Finally Emmett saw the error of his ways.

"I'm not sure to be honest; I've been thinking about that all night. Clearly, we have to do something to get back into their good graces but _what exactly,_ I haven't quite figured out." I wish I had an answer for Emmett but at the moment my mind was drawing a blank.

"We're just going to have to go out of our way to show the girls that we are interested in only them. We need to prove that we aren't Neanderthals and that our intentions are good." Jasper elbowed Emmett as he spoke.

"And how do we do that?" Emmett had a serious look on his face and his brow was furrowed making him look utterly clueless. Jasper and I simply looked at each other as if we were trying to read each other's minds for the answer.

We didn't have a chance to speak as Carlisle walked back into the kitchen. "Boys, every thing alright? You all look like Santa skipped you this year."

"Um, Carlisle may we ask your opinion on something?" I was hesitant to ask him but I was hoping he could shed some light on how to woo a woman back after you've completely and thoroughly fucked things up with her.

"Sure, what can I help you with?"

"I screwed things up for us and now the girls hate us." Emmett hung his head in shame.

"What do you mean? I'm sure it's not that bad and can easily be fixed." Carlisle was always the optimist.

We explained the situation to Carlisle about the photo but left out the part about the lingerie show on the balcony. We edited thinking it would be best not to embarrass the girls any further. We simply stated they were ignoring us and we were desperate to make things right.

"I see. That really wasn't a wise thing to do Emmett. I'm hoping between the boys harassing you and the girls' silent treatment you've learned your lesson." Carlisle had a stern look on his face but I could see the corners of his mouth twitching. Emmett simply nodded his head and sulked like a five year old who dropped his ice cream. "It seems to me the girls' initial reaction would have been one of inadequacy. You were surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women and although you handled yourselves chivalrously, the girls don't know that. They weren't on the boat; they only saw what you wanted them to see which was a photo of half naked women. Picture yourselves on the receiving end of a photo like that or better yet, seeing it in person. Imagine the role reversal here boys. What if you saw the girls surrounded by a group of young, handsome men that aren't you?' He paused for a moment to allow the image to sink in. Emmett looked angry, Jasper looked jealous and I felt a combination of both including remorse.

Why am I jealous? This is a new emotion for me but one I can't push aside. I don't want any man touching Bella but me as caveman as that sounds. And did the girls truly feel inadequate? There was no reason for them to ever feel that way. They were three of the most beautiful, smartest, wittiest and funniest women I had ever met. Inadequacy must not have been a lasting emotion though. Based on their display last night I believe it was immediately replaced by anger and revenge.

"I'm sure the girls got over their initial shock and went into retaliation mode, hence the silent treatment you are receiving. I'm not justifying vengeance but it makes sense if they are trying to teach you a lesson. And gentlemen, let's hope you only have to go through this lesson once." Carlisle was chuckling as he spoke.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Jasper no longer wanted to continue with the lesson and neither did I.

"First you need to make sure the girls know that you were complete gentlemen yesterday on the boat. I'm sure Esme can subtly explain that for you if you'd like." We all nodded in agreement as Carlisle continued. "One quick question if I may? Are the girls aware of your interests in them? Obviously there is an interest on their part or they wouldn't have reacted the way the did." Why had I not realized that? I had been wracking my brain trying to figure out if Bella really was interested in me or if she was just being nice. I was thinking back on all the moments we shared in the last two days. She held my hand, the closeness of our bodies in the pool, my body's reaction to her in the pool, the fact that she didn't pull away, what she said to me when I put her to bed and even our almost kiss should have given me enough reasons to believe it. I knew I was completely infatuated with her but it was probably more than she felt for me.

"I'm not sure if they know we like them or not to be honest Carlisle. I'd like to think I've made it known but now that you've brought it up, I think we haven't made it obvious enough." I decided to answer for the group.

"Then there is your solution gentlemen and I suggest you start soon. Basically, treat them the way you would expect your sister's suitor to treat her." Carlisle was smiling and we all simply nodded. He was right and we needed to formulate a plan as to how we were going to win their hearts.

"Thank you Carlisle." We happily thanked him in unison.

"Now if I may change the subject to one of work matters, we've got another snorkel group today. No worries, it's a church group from Canada." Carlisle made sure to add the last part for our benefit as he saw us tense up. "The rain last night is going to make the water a bit murky but we'll have to make do. If you are ready, we'll head to the marina. I can hear Jack's Jimmy Buffet karaoke from here." We all laughed and made our way to the door.

As we all climbed into the van I could hear a collected sigh of relief. I tuned out Jack's off key rendition of _Cheeseburger in Paradise_ and lost myself to my thoughts. I was pulled out of my reverie by Carlisle's voice.

"By the way, I forgot to mention this earlier but now is as good a time as any with the current situation. I overheard the girls mention to Esme they'd like to go out tonight. I know you all have to work tomorrow but it might be a good idea to get out of the house. There are tons of places up and down Duval Street that would be ideal. I believe I heard them say something about and I quote _wanting to shake their derrières. _I paraphrased the last bit of course. This is a perfect opportunity for you gentlemen."

"But they haven't invited us Carlisle. Wouldn't that be a bit presumptuous if we just invited ourselves?" I wanted desperately to spend time with Bella but I certainly didn't want to push her further away.

"Edward, you can be a bit more clever than that. You are your father's son after all." He was looking at me reproachfully.

"Um Carlisle, I have to agree with Eddie here. I really don't want to piss them off more than we already have." Emmett, the voice of reason. Who would have thought!

"All I'm suggesting, and you did not get this idea from me, is that you simply show up at the same place. Key West is a small town boys, people bump into each other all the time." He crossed his arms against his chest and smirked.

"Wow Carlisle, does Esme know you've got a sneaky side?" Jasper was wiggling his eyebrows up and down in Carlisle's direction.

"How do you think I won her heart in the first place?" He simply winked and smiled at us. We laughed boisterously and in unison. It felt good to laugh again and I couldn't wait for this day to be over.

The day dragged on like a never ending Monday. The tourists were nice people and never once complained about the water clarity. I kept imagining dancing with Bella, her back to my chest, my hands on her hips and her hands up behind her in my hair as our bodies moved sinfully to the beat. We had decided we would tell the girls we were going out tonight as well to enjoy some male bonding time. What they wouldn't know is that we planned on hitting every spot until we found them. Once we found them, by coincidence of course, we were going to try our hands at wooing them back.

The end of the day finally came and before I knew it we were back at the house. Esme had told us the girls were upstairs getting ready for their night out on the town. We told her we had planned to do the same and she gave us a knowing smile and a wink. "Of course you did dears. I think the girls said something about dancing themselves. _There are only so many clubs along Duval_. Well, have fun."

I ran upstairs and plugged my IPod into the mini boom box and hit play. I jumped into the shower to prepare for our, hopefully victorious, night on the town as the sounds of Coldplay filled the room.

**BPOV**

I was so relieved to hear Carlisle's observation of how the boys behaved on the boat. So, maybe Edward wasn't attracted to those girls but I wasn't sure how to make him attracted to me.

Last night I dreamed of standing on the balcony wearing my sexy babydoll. Edward climbed up and over the railing just to be near me. He took me in his arms wrapping one arm around my waist placing his hand on the exposed skin of the small of my back. He pulled me so tightly into him that I could feel exactly how excited he was to be with me. His green eyes looked right into my soul making my legs go weak as he brought his lips to mine. The passion was so unbelievable as his fingertips slowly traced up my back under my top. I have never been attracted to a man the way I am attracted to him. I wanted to be with him in everyway possible. Why did this make sense? I didn't even know him but I knew I wanted him to be mine. I didn't want any other woman near him. Jealousy was such a new feeling for me.

Alice woke us up extra early with the intention of helping Esme do inventory at the shop. Ultimately, her goal was to get us out of the house before the boys woke up. She was still trying to keep up the _hard to get_ show that we were putting on for them. I tried to stall as much as I could while I was getting ready so I would have a chance to see Edward before we left. I just wanted to see his reaction when he looked at me and perhaps it would tell me if he was pleased with what he saw last night. Rose and Alice were on to me however and made sure to let me know.

"Bella, hurry up!" hissed Rose. "I know what you're doing and Edward is off limits. Besides, didn't you get enough of him in your sleep last night?" She grinned as my jaw dropped.

Did I do it again? Why do I always have to talk in my sleep? I swear I need to tape my mouth shut before I go to bed. I had the hardest time falling asleep last night; frustration and my attraction to Edward were getting the best of me.

"I'm ready, let's go get this day started." I said as they literally pushed me out the front door.

It didn't take us long to get the entire inventory done and Esme was very glad to have our help. It made her job a lot easier and she was even able to help us up front as the bursts of tourists came in at regular intervals. The whole workday went by rather quickly. We didn't even have time to talk, which I was a bit grateful for. I knew Rose had some big plans for our evening and she spent any free time whispering with Alice about how they were going to make sure I looked perfect. I was a bit worried to say the least.

"Okay, all the racks are straightened on my end of the shop how about you girls?" asked Alice. I could see the anxious bounce in her step as she walked over to Rose and I.

"Just about done." Rose answered her.

"Girls have you decided where you are going tonight?" Esme inquired. "If you still want to go dancing there are quite a few places you could even walk to on Duval Street that would be fun. If you'd like to go dancing there is Upstairs at Ricks."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, one of the customers mentioned that place today." Said Alice. "It would be nice to take a walk and find a fun place to hang out for the night."

The next question Esme asked made us all furrow our brows at her, "Will the boys be joining you?"

"Um, yeah…we have no plans on asking them." Commented Rose with a flip of her hair.

"Is something wrong?" Esme looked worried.

Rose explained about the text picture Emmett had sent. Esme nodded as she listened and decided she should inform us about the actions of the boys. We didn't let her know that we had overheard her talking to Carlisle.

"Girls I can assure you these boys were very well behaved at work yesterday. Although men will be men, I know Emmett, Jasper and Edward to be gentlemen first of all. I can see that they are attracted to you ladies and if you give them a chance I am sure they will find a way to act proper. And perhaps you could reconsider your girls' night only? It might give you and the boys a way to get to know each other more and give the boys a chance to make it up to you." She smiled in a motherly way.

"Thank you for the advice Esme. We just want to blow off some steam so to speak but you have a point about the boys. Could you possibly drop a hint to them then? I guess it wouldn't hurt if they showed up." Alice explained.

"I would be more than happy to drop a subtle hint but not mention where you are going. It's more fun when it's a chase ladies." Esme had a sneaky side to her. Alice and Rose went to make sure our work was finished.

Esme placed her hand on my shoulder. "Bella, are you enjoying yourself?"

"Sure, it is so beautiful here. I am looking forward to seeing some of the town tonight and working here with you is so much fun." I smiled as she searched my eyes for something more.

"You are a very beautiful girl and don't ever doubt that. You have captured the interest of a very handsome young man who is probably driving himself crazy trying to find a way to show you he's attracted to you. If you're interested in him, and I think you are, you just need to go with your instincts and get to know him. You won't be disappointed."

"I'll try." I shyly smiled back at her as she hugged me tightly.

"Ladies, we are all done. Let's get the heck out of here and get ready for tonight!" Alice was beaming with anticipation.

We arrived back at the house before the boys and hurried upstairs. We figured we had an hour before they would be back. Alice and Rose were on a mission and clothes were flying in all directions as they searched for something perfect for us to wear. After a few minutes Alice produced three stunning outfits. I was worried as to which one would be mine because none of them were something I would have picked out for myself.

Rose's outfit consisted of a black corset with white stitching running down the front and white, short shorts topped off with black stilettos that made her tower over me. Alice's outfit was a tube mini dress in black with a pink ribbon running across the midsection also topped off with black stilettos that made her tiny 5' frame look almost as tall as me. My outfit was a pair of low-rise skinny, dark denim jeans and a top that left nothing to the imagination. It was a royal blue halter-top that opened right under my breasts leaving my entire stomach exposed. I would never normally wear something like this but it was this or the leather concoction Alice was eyeing. **(A/N: Photos on profile)**

We changed and I was pulled or shoved rather into the bathroom for hair and make-up. I felt like my hair was being pulled in every direction as Rose pinned it up high on my head. She left small ringlets of curls cascading around my face. Alice worked her magic picking out the perfect shoes for my outfit and then doing my makeup. When they finally put me in front of the full-length mirror, I didn't recognize myself.

There was a knock at the door as Esme peeked her head in. "Hi ladies…Wow Bella, you look amazing!" She exclaimed as she stared at me.

Rose and Alice had satisfied looks on their faces as they bounced up and down. I looked at the image in front of me and couldn't help the smile that came across my face. Once again these new friends of mine were helping me feel much more confident about myself.

"Rose, we are running out of time! Get yourself dressed and Bella sit somewhere and don't move till we are ready!" barked Alice.

"I hear the door girls; I think the guys are home from work. I'll go make sure they're not around when you head out for the evening and no worries, I'll make sure to drop heavy but subtle hints for you. Have fun and be safe!" Esme winked and headed out the door.

Alice and Rose were standing in front of me in record time. I was so glad my outfit was nowhere near as risqué as theirs even though I felt like I wasn't wearing much. They looked amazing, if they could walk past any guy without him noticing I would be shocked. Alice opened the door a crack to check if it was clear in the hallway. Giving us thumbs up we tiptoed to the stairs carrying our shoes so we could be quick. I heard a choking giggle from behind me as Rose clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Shhh," I whispered and found myself giggling too.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs, Esme was standing there motioning us to hurry. She was blocking the view from the kitchen where we could see Carlisle standing in the kitchen doorway talking. It sounded like he was telling the boys a story about when he went to UM. She followed us to the front door and gave us each a quick hug as we slipped our shoes back before heading out. We were thankful for Esme's diversion and her help with the boys. Why did it seem that Carlisle was running a diversion too?

"Esme is so sweet." I said.

"She is awesome." Said Rose. "She's like a really cool mom."

Alice was looking up the street as we walked. "Only a few more blocks to go ladies. We are going to that place a customer suggested called Durty Harry's. She said Rick's Upstairs is the best dance club on the island and Esme said it's very popular too remember?"

"I'm ready to let loose and get low on the dance floor! Bella, you do know how to dance right?" Rose asked with a concerned look.

"Of course I do." I answered a bit offended. "I just need you both to show me how to be a bit more…sexy." The last word came out in a mumble.

"Girl, you came to the right place for help!" Alice looked like an excited bunny hopping down the sidewalk in heels.

We could hear the music from the club before we even reached it. People were heading up the stairway to get in. Alice and Rose grabbed my hands and pulled me along with them as we climbed the stairs. I was starting to feel their excitement as I willed myself to relax. As we walked through the door I felt a bit self-conscious as so many eyes were on us. Still holding my hands the girls dragged me right out to the dance floor. It was still early and there was a lot of room to dance. The DJ had just put on a new song.

_Huh huh haaa  
__Pump it  
__Huh huh haaa  
__And pump it (louder) _

"Let the lessons begin!" Shouted Alice.

_Turn up the radio  
__Blast your stereo  
__Right now  
__This joint is fizzlin'  
__It's sizzlin'_

_Right  
Turn it up (turn it up)  
Come'on baby, just  
Pump it (louder) _

The little pixie was shaking her thing and Rose showed me the proper way to _Pump It_. Once I got the hang of it I had to admit I wasn't half bad, but then I didn't have a mirror to look in either. By the time Alice taught me how to gyrate we were laughing so hard we had to take a break.

"Lets get something to drink to loosen you up more." Rose suggested as we walked to the bar.

Alice leaned up to say something into the bartender's ear. He smiled at her and nodded his head. Within minutes he was handing her three glasses with umbrellas in them.

"Try this ladies" Alice said as she handed us our drinks. Rose started sipping away and I figured what the heck; I took a big long swig from my straw and was pleasantly surprised.

"Wow Alice!" I shouted over the music "This is great. What is it?"

Smiling at me she answered, "Some fruity thing." And proceeded to drink hers down without stopping.

"Chug a lug you light weights, the next song is starting." And Alice ran back out onto the dance floor, as _Please don't stop the Music_ by Rhianna started to play. Rose raised her glass to me and we both downed what was left of our drinks.

_It's gettin late  
I'm making my way over to my favorite place  
I gotta get my body moving shake the stress away  
I wasn't looking for nobody when you looked my way  
Possible candidate  
Who knew  
That you'd be up in here lookin like you do  
You're makin' stayin' over here impossible  
Baby I must say your aura is incredible  
If you don't have to go don't_

Alice and Rose were on either side of me rocking their hips and shaking their asses as guys began to gather around the edge of the dance floor to watch. Rose then got behind me and grabbed my hips teaching me to move a bit more seductively as we heard a few hoots from the crowd. Every now and then I would glance around to see if I saw Edward. The club was really starting to fill up.

"No sign of our boys yet" shouted Rose. She must have read my mind. "Guess we need another refresher!"

"Filler up bartender!" yelled Alice as she left the dance floor.

We finished two more fruity concoctions and I was feeling very comfortable swaying to the music as I stood by the bar. I wondered what was in these drinks. Alice just smiled and wouldn't say a thing.

"What are we standing here for?" Alice took off again at the speed of light as _Push It_ by Salt n Peppa started blasting from the speakers.

_Salt and Peppa's here, and we're in effect  
Want you to push it, babe  
Coolin' by day then at night working up a sweat  
C'mon girls, let's go show the guys that we know  
How to become number one in a hot party show  
Now push it  
Ah, push it - push it good_

By the time this song ended I had no problem moving to the music and getting into every move I could on the dance floor. A big smile from my BFFs told me I finally had the moves down pat. It didn't even bother me as three guys we didn't know started dancing near us and watching our every move. That was right when Rose elbowed Alice and me at the same time nodding her head toward the door. We looked across the room to see three of the sexiest, well-dressed men walking in the door, our men. As we danced we watched them scanning the room most certainly looking for us.

"Well, it's about damn time!" Alice loudly commented so we could hear. "And here is the perfect song. Drop it like its hot girls, we have something to prove."

_Low_ by Flo-Rida started playing and we got down with it. The three guys I noticed earlier made their way behind us and started moving in very close. Rose went right along with it as a tall skinny blonde surfer dude was rocking back and forth right along with her. They weren't bad dancers but didn't have a whole lot of rhythm. Alice danced up against the red head that looked like he was about to drool all over her. I hoped it wouldn't be long before our guys spotted us out here.

I felt the black haired muscular guy who was dancing behind me wrap his arms around my waist and pull me into him. He told me his name was Tyler as we continued to dance.

_Apple Bottom Jeans  
Boots with the fur  
The whole club was lookin at her  
She hit the flo  
Next thing you know  
Shawty got low low low low low low low low_

He was singing to the song in my ear and at first I just went with it because I was having fun dancing. He would drop down with me each time the song mentioned it and I could feel him pulling me more into him.

I tried to do a few moves on my own but he was so strong I couldn't move myself away from him. We continued to sway and move against each other and I was feeling very uncomfortable. I couldn't get Alice or Rose to look my way and it was too loud to yell to them. It wouldn't be much longer till the song was over but I couldn't take it any more.

I tried one more time to pull away with no luck.

I turned my head back toward him and yelled, "Let me go!"

"I'm not finished," I heard Tyler say as the song ended.

"Oh yes you are!" came a growling voice just behind us.

Tyler spun us around to find who had interrupted his fun. That is when I came face to face with my Knight in shining amour, Edward. The anger and jealousy I saw in his face made his eyes appear black. This was the man I truly wanted to be with; I wanted him more than anything.

"Let. Her. Go!" he ordered as he took another step toward Tyler, not flinching once.

Tyler hesitated and removed his arms from me. He backed away and left the dance floor with his friends following him. Then I noticed Emmett and Jasper were standing with Rose and Alice. Emmett had his arms wrapped around Rose and they were dancing while Jasper had his arm draped over Alice's shoulder whispering in her ear the entire time.

I turned back to Edward and the anger had melted from his eyes. He was staring down at me letting his eyes roam over my body from my face to my feet pausing for a moment somewhere in between. A crooked smile crossed his lips as he took my hand and led me to the exit door.

"We're getting out of here." He said with a wink. I would have followed him anywhere.

**A/N: ****You ****asked for it you got it...The heat is finally rising as our couples start pairing off next chapter. Stick around to find out who can't hold back anymore! And remember, a review gets you a teaser for next chapter. **

**We've also added a poll to our profile…take a look and place your vote. **


	11. Passion In Paradise

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story; we hold no rights to them otherwise.**

**A/N: ****We thank all of you that left us reviews and voted in the poll! The poll is now closed! Emmett and Rosalie won by a landslide with Edward and Bella coming in second and not much love given for our third place winners Jasper and Alice. So let's see if your predictions were correct on who will get hot and heavy and lose all control this chapter. You asked for it, well here is a tall glass of lemonade for you and this time we promise they aren't dream sequences. **

_Previously: "We're getting out of here." He said with a wink. I would have followed him anywhere._

**JPOV**

We had gotten back to the house and were standing in the kitchen talking to Esme. She told us the girls were upstairs getting ready and dropped a not so subtle hint as to where we might _bump _into the girls later in the night. She excused herself as Carlisle came in to the kitchen with a smile on his face.

"So you boys ready for your night on the town?" He was watching Esme's retreating form.

"Yes, we were just discussing that with Esme actually." Edward directed his answer to the floor as he shuffled his feet. Why does he look so nervous?

"I'm not sure where the girls are headed but I'm sure Esme gave you a few suggestions where you might have some fun correct?" He was speaking to us but had his head turned towards the hallway.

"Yup, we know exactly where we'll be look…ouch." Emmett almost made us out to be stalkers but thankfully my elbow to his ribcage shut him up.

"I see. So did I ever tell you boys the story of……..baseball…….Edward, Sr.……UM." Carlisle was telling us some story about his college days but I zoned out only catching a few words here and there. I was thinking about Alice and what I wanted to say to her tonight. More importantly, I was thinking about what I wanted to do to her and with her tonight. _Get your mind out of that gutter Jasper. You've got to get her to speak to you first. _I pulled myself out of my daydream to find Carlisle still speaking. It seemed like he was trying to distract us because his gaze kept turning towards the hallway. I thought I heard a muffled giggle coming from the direction of the foyer but thought nothing of it. Carlisle finally finished his story and I tried to push the image of Carlisle and Edward's father doing keg stands out of my mind.

"Well, I suppose you boys want to get ready then." Carlisle's subtle way of letting us know he was finished speaking couldn't have come fast enough. We were hoping to leave the house directly after the girls so as not to make it too difficult to find them later.

Edward sprinted up the stairs taking the steps two at a time. I followed him up the stairs stopping at the girls' door. I was hoping I would hear them just to make sure they were still here but the only sound I heard was Coldplay pouring down from the loft. I walked into my room and sat on the bed trying to formulate a game plan for the evening. After selecting my outfit I made my way to Emmett's room to get in line for the shower. Edward had already finished and was in the loft getting dressed and Em was singing in the shower. _Is he singing Madonna? How in the hell did he hit that octave?_

_Like a virgin,  
__Touched for the very first time  
__Like a virgin,  
__When your heart beats,  
__Next to mine._

I couldn't contain the laughter and had to share this with Edward. 'Ed, get your ass down here. You've got to listen to this!" Edward came running down the stairs stopping at Emmett's doorway. He froze mid-step, one foot hovering off the floor, with his mouth open. He looked at me with a confused expression as if he needed reassurance that I was hearing this too. All I could do was nod and we both started laughing so hard that Edward dropped to his knees and I fell on the bed.

Emmett came out of the shower and walked into his room wearing a towel and a smile. As soon as he saw us, me on the bed and Edward on the floor, his smile faded and his eyes went wide. "How long have you guys been in here?"

"Long enough to hear you say you're going to give all your love to some boy." I was laughing hard as I spoke.

"Oh Emmett, you're so fine. Will you be mine?" Edward was screeching like a girl with one hand on his heart and one out stretched towards Emmett.

"Humph, you know you like what you see pretty, virgin boy." Emmett winked and wiggled his hips a little.

"Em, I'm not the one singing about being touched for the very first time though." We all started laughing hysterically at the comical situation.

Emmett got dressed as I hopped in the shower. About thirty minutes later we were all dressed and ready to go. I thought we all looked quite handsome and hoped the girls thought the same. I was dressed in a pair of linen, khaki pants and a white button down shirt. Edward had on a pair of dark denim jeans and a navy blue, button down shirt. Emmett wore a pair of faded jeans and a very tight v-neck shirt. We walked out of his room and stopped at the girls' room. We knocked hoping to catch a glimpse of them and wish them a fun night. When there was no answer, we shrugged and made our way downstairs.

"Esme, have the girls left yet?" Edward was getting antsy and we were all hoping we hadn't missed them.

"Oh boys, they left a while ago." Well crap, I guess we missed them. They must have left when we were in the kitchen or when we were getting ready.

"Thanks Esme, see you in the morning." We all waved and made our way down the street.

"So, where should we start looking?" Edward was walking quite fast, his hands were in his jean pockets and he had a determined look on his face.

"I'm not sure. Em, you remember any dance clubs from last summer?" We didn't really go out much last summer except for a few bars.

"Nah, but we can always ask around."

We had been walking for quite some time and I was wondering how the girls made it in heels. Next time, we are calling a taxi and we are most definitely taking a taxi home. We finally made it to the popular end of Duval St. and it was lined with clubs, bars and shops from one side to the other. We checked out three different bars with no luck and were becoming frustrated. We were going to try one more place before we gave up and headed home.

"Why don't we try in here? If anything, maybe they can steer us in the right direction before we decide to give up?" Edward was motioning towards Sloppy Joes with a desperate look on his face. We walked in, took a seat at the bar and within seconds the bartender was standing in front of us. She was a bottle blonde with a nose ring and she was undressing Edward with her eyes.

"Hi there handsome, get you anything? Anything at all?" Edward was cringing a bit but forced a smile.

"Ummm." I couldn't help but chuckle at his loss of words.

"What do you suggest blondie?" Ugh, Emmett is actually going to egg her on.

"Hmm, I can think of a few things but I guess a beer will have to do for now." She poured three draft beers and placed them in front of us. I gave her a 20 and told her to keep the change. We drank in silence, watching the crowd and continuously looking through the windows to the street.

"Hey, blondie." The bartender walked towards Emmett and perched an elbow on the bar. "Where would a good looking girl like yourself go to shake her ass around here?"

"Depends on what kind of music you're into I guess but most tourists go to Rick's Upstairs. It's across the street in the Durty Harry's complex. You offering me a dance muscles?" She winked at him and I saw him visibly cringe at the thought.

"Maybe next time doll. Thanks for the beers."

"Guys, shall we check this one last place?" I wanted to at least take a look and I was getting tired of Emmett's complaining. The guys nodded and we stood to leave. Why hadn't we thought to ask someone before this?

We left Sloppy Joes and made our way to Durty Harry's and then upstairs to the club. Salt and Pepa was blaring and there was a sea of bodies swaying and grinding to the music. It was hard to make out any faces because of the laser lights flashing everywhere. We just stood there for a moment trying to find the girls. There were too many people around us so we made our way through the throngs of bodies. Edward and I followed behind Emmett as the crowed easily parted for him. We were all looking in different directions trying to see if the girls were here or not. I felt Emmett nudge my arm and nod in the direction of the dance floor. He was staring at something intently, his expression going from excitement to anger. Edward and I both followed his gaze and what I saw took my breath away.

Alice was standing in the middle of the dance floor with Rose and Bella. She was gorgeous, wearing a very tight and very short tube dress. It hugged her little curves in the most sinful way and I wished I could be that fabric. She dropped down to the floor and I almost caught a glimpse of her cute ass. I took my gaze off her backside as I noticed three guys flanked the girls. One in particular, a redhead, was a little too close to Alice for my liking. She seemed oblivious to him as she had her back to him with her hands in the air. He had his hands on her hips and he was staring down at the same part of her body I had just been gawking at.

I couldn't stand watching him touch her. I knew I had no claim on her but I wanted it to be me she danced with. I walked over to them, stopping in front of Alice. She stopped dancing and looked up at me with the most beautiful smile on her face. "You've kept me waiting."

"I'm sorry; I would have gotten here sooner if someone would have told me where she was going." I smiled apologetically and held out my hand to her. She grabbed my hand and I brought in to my body for a tight embrace. We stood there lost in the moment when I realized the redhead was still standing behind her. I was about to tell him to get lost when Alice wiggled out of my arms and whipped around to face him.

"Thanks for the dance carrot top but my preferred partner is here now." She smiled and waved at him as he walked away.

I put my arm over her shoulder and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "If I have it my way, your dance card will be permanently filled with me as your only partner. Shall we get out of here?" She giggled and nodded as I led her towards the doors.

As we walked out I could see Bella and Edward were just stepping outside and Emmett and Rose were right behind us. I noticed both couples were holding hands and looked down to see my own hand entwined with Alice's. She noticed me staring at our hands and smiled up at me. "So, where to?"

"Follow me." I led her to the left and we made our way to the Wine Galley Piano Bar about two blocks down. I took her out to the sunset deck where we could talk. There was no one on the deck but us. The soft, melodic sounds of the piano bar drifted in the air like a calm breeze. We leaned against the railing and stared into each other's eyes. After what felt like an eternity I led her to some chairs in the corner. We sat down and I took a hold of her hand.

"Alice, I'm sorry I…." She cut me off by placing her tiny hand on my mouth.

"I forgave you before I even knew I was mad. To be honest, I just wanted to get your attention."

"Alice, you've had my full attention since I first saw you and I'm hoping to God I have yours."

"Oh Jazz!" She jumped into my lap, her arms wrapping around my neck as my arms wrapped securely around her tiny waist. She had one leg on each side of me, straddling me, as she pressed her forehead to mine. Our mouths were mere inches apart and I wanted desperately to close the gap. As if she were reading my mind she pouted and said, "Are you going to kiss me or not!" I smiled and pressed my lips to hers.

Our kiss went from sweet to eager in a matter of seconds. Her tongue darted out and licked the contours of my lips. I opened my mouth and our tongues entwined like two serpents. We broke for a much needed gasp of air and I began to kiss her neck. I looked down and noticed her ridiculously short dress had ridden up to her hips and I could see her black, lace panties. I groaned and moved my mouth back to hers, dominating her tongue with mine. Her hands moved to my hair and she began to move her hips, grinding them into my crotch. I put my hands on her ass pulling her as close as possible. Slowly I moved my hands up along her sides to her neck, brushing the sides of her breasts with my thumbs along the way. She moaned into my mouth and ground even harder into my straining erection. _God, I wanted this woman! _I wasn't certain how much longer I could hold out without taking her right here in this chair. Her dress and this position would make it easy.

I dropped my hands from her neck to her thighs, slowly inching my way closer to the lace I so desperately wanted to touch. Her hands had moved to my chest and she was nibbling my neck. My fingers traveled further up her thighs, moving under the hem of her dress and finally making contact with the lacey garment. I moved my finger along the edge of her panties before moving to the center of the fabric. She moaned my name as I slowly rubbed my thumb from the bottom to the top. The thin panties did nothing to hide her obvious arousal.

"Jasper, Jasper." She was breathless and hearing her moan my name turned me on beyond belief. I'm normally not one for sex on the first date, shit this isn't even a first date, but at this moment I was willing to do anything to have her right now.

I moved my finger back to the edge of her panties and slowly began to lift the fabric out of the way when I heard someone clear their throat. I quickly stood up, placing Alice on her feet and pulling her behind me.

The waitress had come outside and caught us in the middle of our heavy petting/make out session. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were out here or I would have come out sooner. Did you want to order anything or should I just go back inside and leave you to your, um, business." She was chuckling but covering her mouth.

"No, I think we're fine thanks. We were just leaving actually." The waitress went back inside shaking her head and mumbling something about exhibitionists. I turned to Alice who was giggling as she adjusted her dress.

"I'm so sorry. I took that too far and I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that. Its just, damn Alice….I just couldn't stop myself." I was rubbing the back of my neck trying to calm myself down.

"I know exactly what you mean, you're quite irresistible yourself. There's nothing to be sorry for either, I quite enjoyed myself." She leaned up on her tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. I grabbed her hand and we walked back onto Duval and hailed a cab.

We made it back to the house in five minutes and headed upstairs. I wasn't sure if the other couples made it home yet but I could hear the faint sound of the TV coming from downstairs. I walked her to her door and pressed her up against the frame.

"Goodnight Alice." I gave her a kiss and pulled away before I allowed myself to deepen it.

"Goodnight Jasper."

I turned around and started to walk away as she called out to me. "Jasper, maybe we can pick up where we left off sometime soon." She winked and blew me a kiss before stepping into her room.

"Anytime, anyplace but hopefully very, very soon." I mumbled to myself as I walked into my room and lay down on the bed. I wished I had my own bathroom because a very cold shower was in order. I laid there trying desperately to clear my mind to no avail. I sighed and turned off the lights, letting my hand wander lower thinking of Alice in those black, lacey panties.

**EMPOV**

_All dressed up and too many places to go_. There are quite a few bars and clubs along Duval Street. Our mission was to search each one of them until we located the girls. It felt like we were playing a game of **cat and mouse** _and Rose was one mouse I would love to grab by the tail!_ We had already checked out four bars and I was starting to get pissed.

"So far, I have been propositioned three times (twice by girls), had my ass grabbed four times (I don't even want to know by whom), been brushed up against inappropriately more times than I could count and I don't have a damn thing to show for it!" I complained.

"Shut up Emmett." Jasper and Edward grumbled together, wearing frustrated scowls.

Our next stop was a place called Rick's upstairs; the bimbo bartender from the last place we hit told us about it. It looked pretty crowded, which made me shudder at the possibility of another personal assault. We stood just inside the doorway trying to find the girls, _our girls_. A large crowd was already out on the dance floor. It was no use standing here; we were going to have to move around. I made my way through a sea of bodies and noticed that a group of overly excited guys gathered not far from me. _Wonder what was going on over there?_ _Oh hell, I might as well check it out!_

Muscling my way to the front of the group I quickly discovered the reason for the frenzy. Three hot babes were giving some lucky fellows a dancing experience they would never forget. I could only see them from the back but there was no mistaking the fact that these girls knew how to move. I nudged Jasper and jutted my chin in their direction. He grabbed Edward and they were both staring at the girls in front of us.

The couple closest to me caught my attention. The tall blonde beach freak was wiggling back and forth like Gumby; while the gorgeous blonde hottie he was with dropped it to the floor seductively working her way back up. Her long legs seemed to go on forever in those short shorts and spiked heels. I watched her smooth, swaying movements that made her silky hair cascade over her shoulders in waves. She turned around to face my direction making me choke on the piece of gum I was chewing.

"Are you kidding me?" I felt my insides boil as recognition crossed my face.

_What the hell was my Rose doing out there pole dancing against that slimy worm? And he's putting his hands on her! _My own hands balled into fists as I plowed over everything in my path.

"Hey Weasel! Are you out of your freakin' mind? Get your hands off of my girl before I shred you to pieces!" I threatened in a very loud voice.

"You…I…um…bye!" he stammered and scurried off the dance floor with his tail between his legs.

Rose was in a daze, her eyes wide and her mouth half open as if she was going to say something. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I only had to take one step forward to be able to pull her into my arms; and I did.

"I'm so sorry I upset you Rose," I apologized. "And, I don't want you to ever dance with anyone but me." Her beautiful eyes stared into mine as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"You big idiot," Rose scolded. "Why did it take you so long to figure out that you wanted me?"

I was grinning from ear to ear as I pulled her into a bear hug lifting her feet off the floor. When I set her back down she never let go of her hold around my neck.

"Dance with me now Emmett," she said as I rocked her back and forth to a slower song that began to play. I wrapped my arms around her waist keeping our bodies pressed tightly together.

"Mmm…I like this." She spoke softly in my ear sending a shiver up my spine.

"Rose lets go back to the house." I said. "I think you have showed off enough of your gorgeous body tonight."

"Did you just call me gorgeous Emmett Swan?" she asked.

I smiled and pulled her toward the door. "You have no idea."

Jasper, Alice, Edward and Bella _(what the hell is she wearing!?)_ were leaving just ahead of us. When we all reached the street each couple headed in a different direction. I watched Bella as she walked away, her hand entwined with Edward's as an adoring smile graced her lips. _She'll be okay with virgin boy_.

I took Rosalie's hand in mine, "Shall we?"

"I'm all yours," she answered with a devilish grin.

We walked slowly back to the house enjoying this time alone. I wanted to say something but I didn't know how to explain how I was feeling. Where did that outburst in the club come from? I knew I was attracted to her but I had no idea how much I wanted this girl until I saw her in the arms of someone else. When we reached the front door I held it open for her.

"Would you like something to drink?" I asked, "We can sit on my balcony and hang out if you want."

"Sure, I'll help you with the drinks" she said as she grabbed my hand and tugged me to the kitchen. I admired the view as I was being pulled behind her. Rose's short shorts were making my heart race.

"Find some glasses," she directed me and I hurried to search the cupboards.

I found two tall glasses and almost dropped them as I turned around to see Rose bending over in front of me. She was picking up some napkins that fell on the floor.

"Whoa, baby!"

"See something you like?" She was smiling innocently at me.

"Uh, yeah." I was utterly speechless and surprised I got that much out as I set the glasses on the counter for Rose.

She giggled as she poured us a drink. "Come on you big bear, we won't have all night."

"We won't?" I was completely confused.

"The note on the counter says that Carlisle and Esme will be back in three hours. I expect everyone else to be back around the same time too."

"They're gone? We're home alone?!" I was very excited at the thought and slapped both hands to my face. _AAhhhhh!_

"Emmett you're too adorable for your own good. Now grab these drinks and follow me." Rose headed straight for the stairway, into my room and out onto the balcony. I must have taken her directions too literally 'cause I was following her so close when she turned around, I bumped right into her spilling iced tea down the front of myself.

"Oh, shit! I can't follow you in an outfit like that! It's too damn distracting!" I grumbled.

Rose was laughing and it sounded like music to my ears causing me to smile in spite of myself.

"So this is funny to you?" I asked. "A man in a wet shirt is so darn hilarious?"

My questions just seemed to make her laugh more and I pulled off my shirt and threw it at her.

"Emmett sweetie, your pants are wet too." She bit her bottom lip to keep from bursting out laughing again.

"What the hell?!" I looked down to confirm her observation. "Excuse me a minute." I walked back into the bedroom to change.

Pulling a pair of lounge pants out of the dresser I turned around and jumped about two feet in the air. Rose was standing right in front of me.

"Did I scare you?" She asked as she took a step closer. I could feel the heat from her body.

"No, you're just driving me crazy" I said with a sigh.

"In a bad way?" She pouted her lips at me.

"Actually, in a very good way." I said as I reached out and pulled her against me.

She placed her hands on my stomach and slowly moved them over my chest and to my shoulders making me tremble.

"Then why haven't you tried to kiss me yet?" She asked innocently.

"I was afraid if I got close enough to kiss you I wouldn't be able to stop myself from wanting to do other things to you." I was trying to keep my sanity as she looked at me and moved her hips from side to side against my groin.

I placed one arm around her waist pulling her tightly into me as I stared into her deep blue eyes. My attraction to her was very obvious and I knew she would be able to feel the rock of Gibraltar begin to rise up between us.

"Emmett…"Before she could finish talking I reached my other hand behind her head and pulled her lips to mine.

My desire for her was taking control and I couldn't hold back anymore. Rose placed her hands on each side of my face and after only a few seconds, she parted her lips and our tongues began caressing each other as our kiss deepened leaving us both breathless. Her knees gave in slightly and I moved both hands to her hips to steady her. Placing her hands on top of mine, she moved my hands around behind her so they were holding on to the beautiful curves of her backside. I squeezed her cheeks lightly and I pulled her up into me as she wrapped her long legs around my waist.

Taking a few steps forward, I pressed her back into the wall, as our kisses grew more and more passionate. I pressed my hips into her pinning her there and ground myself against her. Rose let out a soft moan. She brought her hands up between our chests to front of her corset, pulling her straps down. She turned around pressing her chest against the wall, breathing heavily. "A little help with this thing?" I happily obliged, undoing the many clasps until she was free of the binding garment. She turned around letting it fall open to reveal her beautiful, full breasts.

My kisses trailed down her neck and to the swells of her chest. I let my tongue trail along the contours of her breasts seeing the obvious reaction as her nipples hardened into pink peaks.

"Emmett put me down," Rose panted letting her legs unhook and slide down my legs to till her feet were on the floor.

I stepped back from her with a questioning look as her hands grabbed my waistband quickly unzipping my pants and then pushing them all the way down to the floor. She let her fingers trail up my legs to the inside of my thighs and over my bulge as she returned to a standing position. I stood before her visibly shaking with desire wearing only my boxers. Pushing against my chest, she shoved me back till I fell onto the bed. I scooted back until the pillows were behind me and watched as Rose slid her hands to the front of her shorts, unbuttoning them and letting them drop to the floor. Standing at the foot of the bed was the sexiest thing I had ever seen. Her white lace panties barely covered the area of her amazing body that I was craving to touch.

"Keep the shoes on" I growled and signaled her to join me on the bed.

I watched her lick her lips as she ran her fingers through her silky hair and then trailed them down her neck, between her breasts, past her tight abs and to the insides of her thighs. She knelt on the end of the bed at my feet and stalked her way up my body like a mountain lion, straddling me as she approached. I don't know how I kept myself from exploding but Rose was driving me insane and she knew it. The smile in her eyes was filled with her own want and desire. Slowly she dragged her body lightly against me as she made her way up grazing her breasts over the very prominent bulge in my shorts. I felt her hands as she moved them up inside the legs of my boxers to caress me causing me to groan loudly and say her name, "Rosalie."

I reached for her pulling her up to straddle my waist and I let my fingers slip under the lace of her panties. She let out a soft moan and tipped her head back as I felt how wet she was in my hand. Stroking her slowly I let my fingers slip inside her over and over as my mouth found the nipple of one of her breasts. In a steady rhythm she moved her groin against my hand.

"Oh Emmett, I want you," she purred.

I moved my hands back up her stomach and pulled her naked chest against me crashing her mouth into mine. Our tongues wrestled with passion as our bodies moved hungrily touching, feeling, kissing and stroking each other as we groaned loudly with pleasure. Running my hands down her back I slipped them into her lacy underwear cupping the curves of her bottom in my hands. I pressed her into me taking a turn at rubbing my groin against her.

"I.Want.You.Now," she growled staring straight into my eyes to make sure I understood.

Letting go of her butt I pushed her panties down her legs while she wiggled them the rest of the way off of her legs. She then grabbed hold of my boxers and tugged them all the way down staring at my naked body.

"Damn you're so hot I wish I could just put you in a jar!" The corners of her lips curved up at me in a luscious smile.

"If I was in a jar then I couldn't do this to you my sexy vixen," I raised my eyebrows with an evil sex craved grin.

Sitting up I grabbed her and pulled her down on top of me hungrily kissing her with so much passion and desire I stole her breath away. I rolled her over giving her a moment to breathe as I placed light kisses on her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks and her neck.

Her fingernails dug into my back when I brought my lips back to hers kissing her deeply.

I positioned my self over her and she pulled up her knees as I entered into her slowly making us both groan as we felt the rush of warmth.

"Yes!" we both hissed together.

Then I gradually picked up momentum moving quicker in and out of her. She moved her hips tightly against mine wanting me to press deeper inside of her and we slowed to a steady rhythm giving us both the effect we were craving. Our hungry kisses were filled with passion and we were unable to get enough. I felt our bodies melt into each other as we climaxed together both of us shaking with euphoria and breathless.

"Rosalie Hale," I whispered in her ear as she lay still across me with her head snuggled into my shoulder. "I don't ever want to let you go." And I meant every word of it. I have gone out with a lot of girls but I've never felt the strong emotional connection that I feel when I'm with Rose.

"This is the only place I want to be." She whispered back placing a kiss on my neck as I securely wrapped my arms around her.

We stayed like this for a little while longer until we needed to get cleaned up before everyone else returned. As we kissed each other goodnight I felt a new desire. I needed this girl in my life; I needed Rose.

"Goodnight baby, I'll see you in the morning." she said as she hesitantly turned and left the room.

**EPOV**

My initial reaction to stalking the girls was nervousness. I wasn't certain how Bella would take it if I coincidentally showed up at the same place she just happened to be at. I quickly became eager and determined once we started walking down Duval St. After four failed attempts of tracking them down though, I was becoming increasingly frustrated. Emmett was whining and Jasper was acting far too calm.

We were heading toward some club across the street from our fourth bar of the night. I was thankful for the change of venue, as the bartender was a bit too friendly towards me for my liking. As we entered the club the music, the lights and the throngs of people were a bit intimidating but I was determined to find Bella. I followed closely behind Jasper and Emmett as we made our way deeper into the club. We were standing to the side of the dance floor when Jasper tugged my elbow. I followed his gaze and found the girls in the middle of the dance floor flanked by three beach bums. My eyes immediately sought out Bella and saw that she was struggling with one of the guys. He had her back pressed to his chest and was holding her wrists in front of her.

Everything happened so fast but I didn't care how my reaction would come across at that moment. I had no control over my body or my emotions. I quickly made my way towards her and heard her scream at him to let her go. He responded with a cocky remark about not being finished and I felt my fists clench.

"Oh, yes you are!" I wanted to punch him, I wanted to yank him off her and pummel him. My anger and the violent thoughts raging through my mind shocked me but I was willing to fight for her. I didn't want him touching her, I didn't want him any where near her. _She was mine and only mine! Where did this caveman mentality come from!_

He spun around still holding on to Bella and he looked almost frightened. I clenched my teeth together, my jaw flexing and my fists closed. I took a step forward, looking at him with as much anger as I could muster hoping he would get the picture before I had to act physically. "Let.Her.Go!" I saw him hesitate for a moment, gauging my seriousness, and then finally let her go and walked away.

Bella looked at me with a thankful smile. I stepped closer to her and for the first time saw the outfit she was wearing. I hadn't noticed it until now, all I saw before was someone that wasn't me dancing with her. She had on tight jeans and a top that was open from the bottom of her breasts down, revealing her flat and toned stomach. The top was the most vibrant shade of blue and it quickly became my favorite color. She was breathtaking, beautiful, gorgeous and I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms and hold her close. I was staring, my eyes wandering from her mouth to her feet and back up only to stop at her tantalizing stomach. I could see her hipbone above the waistband of her jeans and I wanted so badly to kiss it. I found myself smiling as I looked up and made eye contact with her again. I needed to be alone with her so I grabbed her hand and gave her a wink. "We're getting out of here." She smiled at me as I led her to the doors.

We were the first to leave with Jasper, Alice, Rose and Emmett behind us. I took a right and started walking back towards the house holding Bella's hand the entire way. I turned back to see Jasper and Alice had gone in the other direction and Rose and Emmett were walking in the same direction as us but on the other side of the street. I wanted to get away from Emmett's prying eyes so I turned right down a side street, making our way to a street parallel to Duval. We walked in relative silence at first but I was dying to hear her voice again. She must have read my mind because she finally broke the silence.

"Thank you for saving me back there. I should have known better than to dance with a stranger like that." She was looking down at her feet with a shy expression on her beautiful face.

"It was my pleasure entirely Bella. Unfortunately, men like that give the rest of us a bad name. Perhaps, next time you decide to go dancing I could tag along? You know, to be your Knight in shining armour again if necessary." I couldn't help but chuckle as I spoke. I was completely serious but didn't want to push myself on her too fast.

"I would love that Edward, for you to tag along that is." She looked up to me and had the sweetest smile on her angelic face. I wanted to reach out and stroke her cheek but thought better of it.

"You know, we never really got to have that talk we've been planning for the last two days." I wanted to know every little detail about her.

"You're right. We have time now; it's just the two of us. What would you like to know?"

"Let's start out simple. What's your full name?"

"Isabella Marie Swan. And yours?"

"Edward Anthony Masen. How old are you?"

"18 and you?"

"Same. How about your favorite color?"

"Um, it changes I suppose." She was blushing and looking at the ground again.

"What do you mean it changes?"

"I guess it's based on my mood that day." Her cheeks were now a glorious shade of red.

"Alright then, what is your favorite color today?"

"Today I would say it's green." I wasn't certain what made her decide on green at first but when her eyes met mine and I saw her blush, it dawned on me that my eyes were green and that caused me to blush too. "What about you?" Crap, how do I say that my favorite color is any shade of blue that is on your luscious body without being obvious?

"My favorite color on you is blue." Subtle? Nope, that was blatantly obvious Eddie boy. I can't believe I just said that! She was positively the color of a tomato but she was smiling.

"The outfit isn't a bit much? Alice and Rose played Bella Barbie again. I can't seem to tell them no." She was trying to pull the two sides of her blouse closed with one hand but all it did was open it more on the sides showing off her hipbone again. I stopped walking and pulled her hand a bit to get her attention.

We had reached our destination, the southern most point of the continental United States. Carlisle had mentioned it to me the other day, saying it was practically two blocks from the house and I had been dying to see it even if it was nothing more than an oversized buoy. I turned to Bella and she was looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to answer her question.

"No, that outfit is…... You look amazing, beautiful, stunning…..I can't keep my eyes off you." I took a step closer to her, even holding her hand didn't get me close enough to her. She was blushing again; I'll never get enough of that rose colored shade.

She turned away quickly, pointing at the buoy with a quizzical look on her face. "What's that?"

"That is the marker signifying this point as the southern most point of the US, continental US that is. I guess tourists like to have their picture taken in front of it. Did you know we're only 90 miles from Cuba?" I was feeling a bit rejected and wanted to change the subject fast so I pulled her towards the marker.

"That close? Wow, that's interesting." We had stopped right in front of it. She dropped my hand and leaned up against the marker. "So, are you going to take my picture then? I am a tourist after all." She had a wicked grin on her face. I quickly took out my phone and snapped a picture.

I walked up to show her the picture but it was hard to see in the moonlight. Our heads were inches apart and I could smell her sweet shampoo. It was now or never.

"Bella?"

"Yes Edward?" She was breathing hard but not as hard as me or at least it seemed.

"I know we haven't known each other long but there's something I've been dying to try since I first met you."

"Um, what is that?" She swallowed hard and pressed her palms against the buoy.

"Bella may I kiss you?"

"I'd like that Edward."

I leaned in, closing the gap and softly pressed my lips to hers. Her lips were soft, warm and inviting. I took a step closer and cupped her face with my hands. Her hands moved from behind her to my waist. Our lips moved together in the perfect harmony. I wanted desperately to deepen the kiss but thought better of it. I slowly pulled away resting my forehead on hers. I moved my hands down to her waist and pulled her to me. We stood their embracing and staring into each other's eyes for a few minutes before I was the one to break the silence.

"That was….wow. Thank you."

"You know, I've been wondering since I first saw you what it would be like for you to kiss me."

"I hope I lived up to your expectations." I was watching her expression intently hoping the kiss was as powerful for her as it was for me.

"And then some Edward." I smiled and she placed her head on my chest. We stood with our arms around each other for a few minutes longer enjoying the moment. The night came to an end far too soon when I realized how late it was.

"As much as I hate for this night to come to an end we do have to work tomorrow. Come on, let's get you home." I put my arm around her shoulders and we made our way toward the house. She wrapped her arm around my waist and we snuggled close the entire way back.

I could hear a television on in the living room but I wasn't certain if the other couples had made it back yet. I took her hand and led her upstairs. We stopped in front of her door and she let go of my hand.

"I had a lovely time tonight Edward, thank you again."

"Bella, trust me when I say, it was entirely my pleasure. I meant what I said, I'm hoping we can get to know each other more, if you'd like."

"I'd like that very much. Well, until tomorrow then?"

"Until tomorrow, good night Bella." I leaned in and gave her a sweet, chaste kiss.

"Good night Edward." She opened her door and stepped in. I stood there for a moment staring at the white door before I turned and went to my room. I lay in bed thinking how lucky I am and how thankful I was I came to Key West.

**A/N: So, was it good? Was it what you expected? Did you vote for the right couple? We just wanted to mention without having to actually put it in the story that contraceptives whether it be the pill or condoms have been and will always be used throughout this story. So, what will happen tomorrow now that our couples have made physical declarations? Stay tuned as the guys and girls swap out…jobs that is and by the end of the chapter everyone ends up in hot water!!**


	12. In Hot Water

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story; we hold no rights to them otherwise.**

**A/N: ****Thank you for the encouraging reviews! We love them! We have an outline of where we want to take this story and so far it looks like we are headed down the right path. We know it was the obvious choice making lemons out of Rose and Emmett first but what can we say. They were the obvious choice! We did have fun fooling some of you into thinking that Alice and Jasper were going to be the ones…PSYCH! Well enough babbling...on to the story.**

Previously: _"Good night Edward." She opened her door and stepped in. I stood there for a moment staring at the white door before I turned and went to my room. I lay in bed thinking how lucky I am and how thankful I was I came to Key West. _

**BPOV**

I reluctantly stepped into the bedroom and closed the door behind me. I leaned back against the door as the biggest smile crossed my face. My fingers brushed across my lips as I remembered perfectly, the feel of Edward's lips on mine. Oh how I would have loved to have him kiss me over and over but he was such a gentleman. I think that is what first attracted me to him. Most men are just…_men_, my brother included. They don't do much to try and mask their animal attraction to women. Edward is so wonderful; I don't understand why he is interested in me but I have no doubt now that he is. He has proven tonight that he is my knight in shining armor. I knew my life was about to change and I let out a quiet _**squee**_ as I felt like an excited little girl after she realizes the boy she is interested in likes her too.

The bathroom door was closed and I could hear the sound of the shower running. I also noticed Rosalie was sound asleep in bed. I quickly changed to my pajamas and slid into bed. The shower shut off as I was getting snuggled in.

"Oh hey Bella," whispered Alice. "Did you have a nice night?"

"Yes, I did." I smiled unable to help myself.

"Brrr," she shivered and climbed into her bed.

"Are you cold?" I was surprised because it was such a warm night.

"Just a bit, I took a cool shower to help me relax. Well goodnight Bella."

"Goodnight," I said feeling a bit curious. I wanted to ask her about her night but I wasn't sure I wanted to know. I instead closed my eyes and thought of Edward.

_Beep, beep, beep_. The alarm clock woke me up and I quickly hopped up to turn it off. Rose and Alice just rolled over, grunting in their sleep. They could sleep a bit longer since they really didn't need to be up for another half hour. I slowly trudged to the bathroom to get my shower. I noticed our new bathing suits from Esme sitting on a chair. They were actually quite cute. I grabbed my Tankini, shorts and a t-shirt to put on. After the shower I went down to the kitchen hoping to see Edward.

"Good Morning Bella," Jasper said as he was drinking a cup of coffee at the bar.

"Hi Jasper." I replied and noticed he was the only one in the kitchen.

"Where is everyone?" I asked trying to sound casual.

"Emmett said something about having too much of a work out last night and he was getting a few more minutes of sleep. I have never known your brother to sleep in, go figure. And Edward was in a great big rush to get in the shower."

I grabbed a bowl and the cheerios and sat down across from Jasper. I was pushing the o's around eating them one by one.

"That's one way to stall for time." He commented as I looked at him confused. "You're waiting for Edward to come down aren't you?"

"Oh, um…yes." I gave in smiling shyly.

Jasper smiled back and said, "I think you are driving that poor boy crazy."

"What do you mean?" I asked sounding a bit worried.

"Well let me put it this way, when it comes to you Edward has definitely been bitten." Jasper answered with a grin.

Just then the kitchen door opened and Edward hurried in rather quickly stopping as if he hit an invisible brick wall when he saw me. This caused Jasper to burst out laughing.

"She beat you down here Romeo." He said as he stood up at the table putting his cup in the sink. "See you out front in 20 minutes."

A great big crooked smile came across Edwards's lips. I smiled back as I continued eating my cereal quietly. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down next to me.

"Bella, there you are! Jack is out front and said we have to be ready in 5 minutes." Alice announced as she bound in the door. "I will just fix my coffee to go."

I smiled at Edward while I gathered my dishes and said, "I guess I have to go. See you tonight." He smiled back and then winked at me as I left.

Rose was coming down the stairs and Alice was right behind me as we made our way to the front door. I could hear Jack's music playing as I approached the van and climbed in. He was singing right along with a verse of _Brown Eyed Girl_. "Hello my ladies, it's going to be a beautiful day out on the sea today!" Jack cheerfully announced.

I was excited about working on the boat. I liked that we would be switching out between this and working in the shop. We arrived at the dock in a short amount of time. Carlisle was waiting for us when we came aboard.

"Well Good Morning," he said cheerfully. "Are you ladies ready to learn the ropes? Jack will be helping me to show you how the daily routine is done. You are all PADI certified like your brothers and that means you won't need training when it comes to the snorkeling. Our tour group today will not be arriving until an hour and a half from now. That should give us plenty of time to give you a tour of the boat and acquaint you with all the diving and emergency equipment and their storage locations. Do you have any questions?"

"Will there be a large tour group today?" asked Rose.

"Our tour group will never consist of more than twenty guests. Today's group will have fourteen very lively senior citizens who visit our charter quite often. They are very familiar with the areas we frequent for our tours so they won't need much guidance. You will mostly be supervising and watching over them in case of emergencies or if any help is needed. It is the perfect tour group for you to get your feet wet with, so to speak." Carlisle grinned at us.

We all smiled back at Carlisle as he led us along the deck to start our tour. The Maize and Blue Waters was a beautiful boat. Everything was kept clean and tidy on decks and below. You could see the pride the Cullen's had in their business.

"Ladies if you have any questions, feel free to ask Jack or myself at any time," encouraged Carlisle.

"Thank you Carlisle," we said together.

"Hey Jack, let's get down to business. Show us where the equipment is stowed and we can start setting up for the group," chirped Alice excitedly. She was almost skipping across the deck as she followed Jack.

"Did ya drink your caffeine this morning Alice, or did ya just eat it right from the can?" Jack chuckled loudly.

Alice and I pulled out enough fins, snorkels, and masks for the group and us while Rose gathered any needed emergency equipment. We then listened to Jack explain the standard protocol. We were glad this first group would be experienced with the location. That would give us girls time to get acquainted with it ourselves as we helped them out.

We finished our prep with twenty minutes to spare before the group arrived. I stood by the railing with Alice and Rose looking out toward the open waters.

"This is so beautiful, the water is as blue as Jasper's eyes," said Alice dreamily.

Rose was just shaking her head. "You are actually head over heels for my brother aren't you?"

"How could I not be? From the moment I saw him I knew he was my soul mate," Alice gushed. "Last night Jasper took me to the edge of…the sundeck at a piano bar and we…had a very intimate conversation which made me realize how much I want to be close to him. So what about you Bella? Have you and Edward finally realized how attracted you are to each other, or is it only everyone else that sees it?"

I looked down at the water trying to hold back a smile that was creeping onto my blushing face. "We actually had a chance to talk a bit last night. It was nice."

"You mean that's it? Has he even kissed you yet?" Alice asked. "You two were out the longest, so where did you end up going?"

"We went for a nice walk down to the southern point and he kissed me so romantically," I told them. "He was really very sweet. I am so happy that he is interested in me. I was a bit intimidated by him, he is so gorgeous."

"Ahhh, my brother the gentleman. Of course he would be very cautious and take it slow. If you want to get anywhere quicker with him Bella, and don't deny how bad you want him cause I can see it in your eyes, you may have to take the lead. I know he will be watching out for your reactions as his cue. That is the way my brother is. He will deny what he really wants to make sure he is being proper with you and doing what he thinks you would want. You are going to have to grab him by the shirt and have a go at him. I think you will be very pleased with his response." Alice instructed me.

"Thanks for the advice. Are you sure you are okay with me wanting to go out with your brother?" I asked to be sure.

"I have a kind of 6th sense for things and you two are meant to be together," she beamed at me making me feel at ease.

"It was so peaceful out there last night and all the stars were shining so brightly," I said to no one in particular.

"Hmm, I didn't notice the stars," said Rose with a curious grin on her face. "We went back to the house to hang out and I was a little distracted after Emmett dumped a glass of iced tea on himself."

"Rosalie what did you do?" asked Alice with a stern voice. We both listened with shock as Rose gave us the G rated version of her evening.

"I guess this means you and my brother are officially going out," I commented. "He likes to be a flirt but when he commits to a girl, I have to say, he is a one woman man."

"Oh Bella, your brother is so adorable. I am crazy for the big klutz." She said with a big devilish smile on her face. "And he is super sexy too. The way he…"

"TMI Rose! Don't want to know the details about my brother's personal life." I held my hands over my ears, while Alice and Rose burst out laughing.

"You gals are sure giggly today," commented Jack with a smile. "Our tour group has arrived and they will be with us the whole day. They always bring baskets of wonderful food to share with us. So relax and enjoy, you will have a perfect first day experience and opportunity to learn everything about your jobs."

"Great! Let's get started," Rose said as we greeted the arriving guests.

The day was just as Jack said it would be. There were seven couples from a senior citizen group and they had way more energy than any of us. _I sure hope I have that much spunk when I get older. _They were very encouraging and gave us tips on the very best places to direct our future snorkeling groups to. It was a wonderful learning experience. I felt like we were the tourists. When we were finished in the water everyone climbed back on board and dried off. The girls and I stowed the equipment into the proper places and joined the group back out on the deck. Sandwiches, sodas, and bowls of fruit were being passed around as Carlisle let the boat crawl slowly back to port.

"Carlisle is so nice to let us bring snacks. Some of us are on special diets and have to be sure to eat." Said a gray-haired lady sitting who was next to her husband. He had one arm around her as he ate his sandwich with his other hand. Seeing that made me think of Edward.

As we pulled into the dock our group departed hugging each of us and thanking us for a wonderful time. We did the same then proceeded to tidy up the boat. This was such a fun day, but I found myself anxious to get back to the house. The boys should already be there. We chatted on the van ride back about what we would do for the rest of the evening.

"We should try out the hot tub tonight," Rose suggested with a smile. "But we need to change into our more skimpy bathing suits to get the attention we deserve."

"Bella, this is the perfect opportunity for you to wear your new doily!" Alice exclaimed with joy just as we arrived back at the house.

"Oh no," I responded.

"Oh yes!" said both girls at once dragging me out of the van.

"Goodnight Jack!" we yelled. He was laughing as he pulled away.

I was pulled up the stairs so fast I felt like I was flying. Alice was a pixie-sized ball of amazing energy. Once we reached the bedroom she was running around the room and pulling out our bikinis.

"Don't just stand there Bella, get changed!" she squealed.

"I took a look around downstairs and the boys are out by the pool area relaxing. They look pretty darn hot sitting out there. Edward was reading a book in the jacuzzi and Emmett and Jasper are talking and laughing about something along with trying to drown one another." Rose informed us.

We all ran quietly to the balcony doors to take a peek. Sure enough, there they were out there in their bathing suits making us swoon. We hurried to finish getting our own suits on and make sure we looked just right.

"Whoa Bella," said Rose staring at me. "You look incredible in that suit!"

"I feel naked," I answered shyly.

"Trust me," said Alice. "There is just enough coverage there to keep a man's imagination going. Edward is going to forget all about that book he is reading when he sees you or I am going to disown him. Are we ready?"

We all giggled like schoolgirls and headed down to the hot tub carrying our towels. _I sure hope Alice was right. I wanted every bit of Edward's attention. _

**EPOV**

It had been a long and boring day at the shop and I couldn't wait to get home. I was exhausted; it took me quite a while to fall asleep last night. I kept replaying every second I spent with Bella over and over in my head. The kiss we shared was sweet and innocent but it was also powerful and left me with an insatiable thirst for more. I wanted to spend some time with her tonight but I wasn't certain I'd be able to get her alone.

"Alright boys, time to lock up and head home. I'll give you a ride, the girls will get a ride with Jack and Carlisle." We followed Esme to her Land Rover and made the short journey back to the house. We were making our way up to our rooms when Emmett turned to us with an ear-to-ear smile.

"You guys up for a swim?"

"Sounds good Em, maybe then you can explain the smile you've been wearing all day." Jasper nudged me with his elbow as he teased Emmett. I noticed Jasper was wearing the exact same smile and I was almost positive I did as well.

We all changed into our swim trunks and headed out to the pool. We did a few laps and then hung out in the shallow end. Emmett was giving me a look that meant he wanted details about last night.

"So Eddie, you were last in last night. What did you and my sister do?" I swallowed hard wishing I was somewhere else.

"Not much, we went for a walk. What about you? It looked like you were heading back to the house." I was trying to change the subject and wasn't certain if I'd be successful until I saw _that _smile appear again.

"Yeah, me and Rose came back here and _talked._" He used air quotes as he said the word talk.

"Dude, that's my sister. I do not need to know what topics you covered during your _talk._" Now Jasper was using air quotes; I've always found those really annoying.

"Whatever, what about you and the little sprite?" I really didn't want to hear about what he did to my sister. I know I gave him my blessing but it didn't mean I needed details.

"We went for a walk too and stopped at this patio and _talked._" If they don't stop with the air quotes I'm going to go postal.

"Dude, on a patio! I never would have taken you as the exhibitionist Jazzman." Emmett was punching Jasper's shoulder and giving him a thumbs up.

"Jasper, tell me you didn't corrupt my sister. On a patio Jasper? In public?" I was losing my temper; it wasn't like Alice to do something so risqué.

"No Edward, I didn't have sex with Alice on a patio. We were interrupted before things got out of hand." I had no choice but to believe him but I didn't like the mischievous smirk on his face.

"Well, Rosie and I weren't interrupted! Our talk went really, really well." Both Jasper and I cringed and I wanted to separate myself from the Neanderthal. I got out of the pool, grabbed my book and headed into the jacuzzi. Jasper and Emmett tried to drown each other for a little while then joined me.

"Do you do anything other than read Eddie?" Emmett flicked my book with his hand causing me to almost drop it.

"Watch it, you almost got my book wet."

"Heaven forbid I get your…..holy shit." Emmett stopped his witty retort mid sentence causing Jasper and I to stare at him. We both followed his gaze to the direction of the stairs leading down from the balcony. What I saw took my breath away, Bella was wearing a silver, crocheted bikini that left little to the imagination. **(A/N: Pic on profile) **

Jasper was staring at Alice who was wearing a hot pink bikini that was more like a tube top and a piece of cotton as the bottom. A normal brother would want to cover her up but I was too enamored with Bella's body to be bothered. Emmett was drooling over Rosalie's black, string bikini and I noticed his hand disappear under the water. I'm sure he was having the same physical reaction Jasper and I were having.

The girls walked over to the chairs and placed their towels down. Bella bent over, facing me, and I had a perfect view of her ample cleavage. I instantly needed a cold shower and was hoping she wouldn't notice my predicament. They made their way over to the hot tub and sat down at the edge, placing their legs in the warm water.

"Edward. Edward?" I was too busy staring at her body to notice she was calling my name.

"Huh?"

"You dropped your book Edward."

"My what?"

"Your book, it's floating in front of you. I think it might be ruined."

"Shit!" I hadn't realized that I dropped my book when I first saw her in that bikini. I reached out to grab it but Emmett beat me to it.

"Guess you won't be doing any reading now huh Eddie." Emmett's booming laughter surrounded us and soon everyone joined including myself. Emmett then got out of the jacuzzi and led Rose to the pool by the hand. They jumped in and immediately began playing tonsil hockey. Jasper climbed out of the jacuzzi and led Alice toward the chairs. He sat down on a chair facing away from us, placing Alice in his lap. Bella and I were alone and I wanted to kiss her full lips again.

"Bella, you look…wow. That's a really nice swimsuit." I had to force myself to look her in the eyes instead of at her chest.

"Really? I feel naked in this to be honest but your sister wouldn't take no for an answer. I'm afraid if I don't give in she'll just hold me down and dress me herself." I couldn't help but laugh because I could see my sister doing exactly that. I also couldn't stop thinking about her naked and wanted to see what was under that suit.

"Well Alice has always gotten her way. I learned early on to just go with it." We sat in silence for a few minutes both of us trying to avoid getting caught staring. I was about to say something to her when I looked up and caught her staring at my chest. She blushed and turned her head away quickly.

"Would you like to get in? The water is really nice." I held my hand out to help her into the jacuzzi and she sat down next to me.

"It is nice, the bubbles tickle a little." She was giggling and it made her chest bounce up and down. Her hand brushed up against my thigh and it sent a shiver down my spine. I inwardly groaned and had to adjust myself.

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"I'd really like to kiss you again if you'd allow me." I couldn't wait any longer; I had to touch her lips again.

She nodded and I leaned in towards her. I brought my hand up to cup her face and pressed my lips to hers. All too soon I had to pull away for a needed breath and I heard her sigh.

"I've been thinking about doing that all day. I swear, today was the longest day of my life." I was being completely honest with her. I wanted to do more than kiss her chastely, I wanted to explore her body and please her in every way.

"Me too." She moved her hand under the water until she found my hand and we entwined our fingers. This was where I wanted to be forever.

I noticed it had gotten quiet and looked around to find we were truly alone. I saw Alice and Jasper up on the balcony and it looked like Alice was straddling Jasper's lap. I had to quickly look away; I did not want to see that. I wasn't certain where Emmett and Rose went but I had a good idea.

"Where did everyone go?" Bella noticed were were alone too and I saw a small smile playing on her lips.

"I guess they wanted some privacy of their own." I brought our entwined hands up to my mouth and kissed each of her knuckles. I kissed up her arm to her shoulder and then her cheek.

"That tickles."

"Bella…" It came out huskier than I had intended and she immediately stopped giggling. We looked into each other's eyes for a quick moment before I leaned in and kissed her again. I wanted to deepen it and thought I'd try. I told myself if she didn't want me to she could easily pull away. My hand cupped her face as I slowly licked her bottom lip. She gasped; her mouth opening and I took that as my opportunity. I pushed my tongue into her mouth slowly caressing hers. She hesitated at first but then eagerly reciprocated. Our tongues danced to a beat of their own making. I moved my hand to her soft hair, pulling her closer to me. Her hands were in my hair, massaging my scalp.

Our position was awkward as we were sitting side by side with our heads turned towards each other. I slowly stopped kissing her, giving her a sweet peck on her lips. I placed one hand around her back and the other on her shoulder and gently moved her. She was now sitting on my lap and I quickly kissed her again before we could become shy because of our position. Her hands immediately went to my hair and I began to rub up and down her back. Each time my fingers moved over the string tie of her bikini I wanted to just pull it off. Our tongues battled for dominance and she was moaning softly into my mouth. I was becoming increasingly aroused and was afraid she'd be able to tell if she scooted any closer. I broke away from her lips and started kissing her neck. I kissed down her neck to her collarbone and back up again stopping where her neck and shoulder met. I began to suckle and she moaned louder. She scooted closer, placing her hands on my chest, as I made my way back to her lips. We began kissing again and she began to move her hips and then she froze.

I pulled back, both hands grasping her face, and looked at her questioningly. Her eyes were wide and she looked down. I followed her gaze and found what had shocked her. She had moved so close she was sitting directly on my groin with my very obvious arousal, thanks to her hip movements, coming in contact with her apex. I dropped my hands to her hips and pushed her back a bit so she was sitting on my knees.

"I'm sorry Bella. I didn't mean to take advantage. I swear I'm normally a gentleman but you just…do you have any idea what you do to me?" I was trying hard not to be embarrassed but I wasn't certain how far she wanted to take this, us.

"It's okay Edward, really. I liked it but I, um, I'm just…" She was blushing, looking at her clasped hands that she had moved from my chest to in front of her.

"What Bella? Please tell me." I moved my hands from her hips to her face again.

"I'm just not….I'm not very experienced when it comes to this." She was waving her hands up and down my body and then hers. _That's what she was worried about?_

"It's okay Bella, neither am I." I wanted to reassure her but how do you tell someone you keep undressing in your mind that you're a virgin.

"Edward….I'm a….I'm a virgin. In fact, GOD this is so embarrassing….you're the first person I've even kissed like this." She was still looking down and I wanted desperately to see her face. I cupped her chin with one hand and lifted her face so we were eye level.

"Bella, beautiful Bella…so am I and you are _my_ first kiss like this." She was looking at me incredulously.

"Really? But you seem to know what you're doing so I assumed you were…you know, experienced. Plus, you're so handsome and I'm so plain. I bet you have women throwing themselves at you."

"Bella, I'm as inexperienced as you. I'm just going on instinct and with you…it's not hard. You are not plain; you are the most beautiful woman I have ever beheld. You simply do not see yourself clearly. When I'm with you all I see is you and when I'm not with you, all I think about is you." I wasn't certain if I was ready to tell her everything but I wanted her to know that we were equals. I wanted her to know that since I had first laid eyes on her I began to fall for her but I wasn't certain how to word it or if it would scare her away.

"So, you don't have a girlfriend back home or anything?"

"No. No girlfriend, no one I'm dating, no anything. What about you?" I had realized that I never asked her if she had someone back home. I was positive that someone as gorgeous as Bella had at least an admirer back home.

"No, no one. I've never even had a boyfriend to be honest. It's a little hard when Emmett Swan is your brother." She was laughing again and I made a mental note to make her do that as much as possible. I needed to tell her that I wanted her; I needed to find out if she'd have me.

"Bella, I really like you. I know the way we started this is quite unconventional, more like out of order, but I was wondering if you'd like to…I mean I don't want to sound clichéd and like I stepped out of a 1950's black and white film but….." I didn't know how to ask her. What did I want to ask her? _Will you be my girlfriend? Will you date me? Hey, can I deflower you? This was so frustrating. _

"Edward Cullen are you asking if I'll _date _you?" Ah, she put a title on it that works for me….for now.

"Yes Bella, I guess that's what I'm asking."

"I'd like that and Edward…I like you too." I wrapped my arms around her waist, leaning forward so as not to make her uncomfortable again, and kissed her. She was the one to deepen the kiss this time and eventually we had to break again for the necessity of air.

I was about to kiss her again when we heard moaning. I looked up trying to find the location of the offending noise. Bella had turned her head looking as well and then began to giggle.

"What is that?"

"Um Edward, I think the moaning is coming from up on the balcony and you may not want to look."

"Why?" I had to fight the urge to look up toward the balcony, opting instead to look at the angel in front of me.

"It's your sister and Jasper."

"Ugh…you're right, I don't want to see that. How about we dry off, change and watch a movie." I placed my head in the crook of her neck and nuzzled it.

"Sounds good."

"As long as you are in my lap again of course, I don't want you too far away from me."

"Mmmmm, I'd like that."

I got out of the jacuzzi and made my way over to the chair to grab her towel. I turned around holding the towel out but didn't move any closer towards her. When she stepped out of the jacuzzi I couldn't keep my jaw closed. She might as well have been naked; the suit left nothing to the imagination. I could see EVERYTHING. Her bikini, now wet, forced imagination out the window. My breath went out in a whoosh, as she stood in front of me completely vulnerable and practically naked. I could see the complete outline of her breasts and her erect nipples. My eyes trailed lower and I could see….

"BELLA, WHAT THE HELL!" I was pulled out of my ogling by Emmett's booming voice. I moved towards Bella as fast as I could and wrapped the towel around her.

"What Emmett?" She held the towel closed as I put my arm around her waist. I felt guilty for staring at her the way I did but she was so gorgeous and tempting that I couldn't help myself.

"You are NOT wearing that damn doily ever again! Do you realize it's practically see through when it's wet?" He was standing in front of us with his hands on his hips looking very menacing.

She turned to look at me and gave me a stern look. "No, I didn't know that Em." She then gave me a wink and whispered in my ear. "Hope you saw enough, guess I'm never wearing this again."

Emmett walked back in the house shaking his head but I could have sworn I heard him chuckle. I leaned into Bella's ear and whispered my witty retort. "Bella, I will now make it my mission in life to get you in this bikini again but only when it is the two of us. Emmett's right, it's far too tempting and I don't think I'd like anyone else to see it but me." I gave her a kiss on the neck and led her inside. We both changed and met back downstairs in the living room to watch a movie.

Jasper and Alice were sitting on the love seat with a blanket over them. Alice was actually in Jasper's lap and her hands were under the blanket. Emmett was sprawled out on the floor with his body draped over Rosalie's. I sat down on the sofa; my legs stretched out, and opened my arms for Bella. She sat down with her back to my chest and I wrapped my arms around her waist. We watched the movie, Casablanca, and then all headed to bed.

I walked her to her door where she stopped and turned around to face me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and her arms went around my neck. I gave her a kiss, which she tried to deepen but I had to pull back because Emmett was coming up the stairs.

"Goodnight beautiful, I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Edward." I gave her another chaste kiss and made my way to the loft. That night my dreams stared Bella and her doily. Again, my body's frustration won out over the cold shower.

**A/N: Inch by inch, step by step…It's driving you crazy isn't it. And what the hell was going on up on the balcony? Well, if you want to find out you will have to check back on Thursday evening for the next exciting adventure of……Moan over Miami… Oh wait, we are in the Keys aren't we? LOL Just messing around. ****You know what to do -- leave us a review!! Ta**


	13. Stormy Seas and Raging Desires

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only borrowing them for our story; we hold no rights to them otherwise.**

**A/N: First of all… Thank you so much for your patience during our one day delay. Secondly…A very big Thank You to the Review Groupies that we have noticed gathering around our story. It makes it fun to write knowing you are anxiously waiting for the next chapter. It's also adding a lot of pressure on us to make sure we live up to your expectations…but no worries…we have it all planned out! ****We wanted to say that we noticed the question brought up about the kids drinking alcohol at their age. Without actually saying what was in the fruity concoctions we see how it was assumed to be alcohol however, there may be a situation somewhere down the road where alcohol will be consumed. Teens will be teens, it happens. Been there done that. **

_Previously: "Night Edward." I gave her another chaste kiss and made my way to the loft. That night my dreams stared Bella and her doily. Again, my body's frustration won out over the cold shower. _

**APOV**

It was already getting very late and we had to work in the morning. When I finished my shower I climbed into bed wondering how I was ever going to fall asleep. As soon as my head hit the pillow my mind was filled with wonderful thoughts and my eyelids became heavy.

"Goodnight girls," I said.

"Goodnight, goodnight" said Rose sleepily.

"Mmm, Goodnight," sighed Bella as she rolled over turning out the lamp.

I wasn't chilled like last night after that cold shower I had to take. I was actually very warm tonight. I wanted to feel all cuddly as I pulled the blankets around me and began to dream of the most perfect man I ever met, Jasper Hale.

**ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz**

_We walked down the balcony stairs to the pool and caught the boys by surprise. They were all in the Jacuzzi talking and Emmett was the first to notice us. When Jasper turned around to see what he was looking at I felt his eyes lock on me and a big grin spread across his face. I set my towel on a chair and happily made my way over to the edge of the Jacuzzi where I sat down letting my legs dangle in the warm water. _

_I found it quite humorous that my book nerd brother was so distracted by Bella, his precious book was floating in the water and he didn't even notice! __**He has really got it bad for her**__. I have never seen him put a book down for any girl. When we were little, I used to make a game out of snatching his book when he was reading it and running as fast as I could. I always knew he was faster than me so I would toss it high in the air just before he reached me and he would stop the chase making sure he caught the book before it ever hit the ground. Yeah, no book was ever harmed on his watch except for the fatal drowning we have witnessed here today. Thanks to Emmett we were all laughing, even Edward, in spite of himself. _

_Jasper climbed out of the water, dripping wet, and took my hand leading me over to the chairs. I skipped happily along behind him watching as drops of water rolled down his tanned, muscle toned skin. He sat in a chair that faced away from the pool and pulled me into his lap. I was quite comfortable as I let my back relax against his chest. Even though his body was wet he felt completely warm beneath me. _

"_Hello my beautiful pixie. I missed you today," he whispered in my ear as his arms wrapped tightly around me. _

_I laid the side of my face against his cheek. "I missed you too," I whispered back while admitting, "I haven't stopped thinking about yesterday and how you made me feel." _

"_Mmm, I like the way you feel, most definitely." He murmured as his soft lips trailed kisses along the side of my neck and down my shoulder. _

"_That feels nice," I told him while he continued to do the same down my other shoulder. I was unable to keep myself still and I began slowly wiggling my hips from side to side in his lap. _

"_Alice," he said moving his hands to my hips, "I love that you're enjoying this and can't sit still but do you know what you are doing to me?" _

"_I have a feeling, or maybe I should say, I can feel exactly what I'm doing to you," I answered with a giggle. "I told you I can't stop thinking about you silly, and those thoughts are keeping me from sitting still." _

"_Somehow I don't think you ever sit still. I do however have an idea of a way to perhaps tame some of that extra energy you have." There was a sexy tone to his voice as his warm breath tickled my ear and made me giggle again. _

_Jasper stood up from the chair lifting me with him. He stayed behind me putting his hands on my shoulders and directing me which way to go. We were climbing the stairs back to the balcony as I looked around to see if anyone else noticed us. Edward and Bella where still in the Jacuzzi and Emmett and Rose were nowhere to be seen. __**Bet I know where they went**__. Jasper sat down in one of the lounge chairs and winked at me. I knew just what he was suggesting without him saying a word. Very slowly I walked up to the lounge chair kneeling on it with my legs straddling his and moved myself up into his lap. He brought his knees up slightly which made me slide further into him. _

"_Mr. Hale, I believe you were about to tell me an idea you had." I giggled and stared at him in a very seductive way. I could feel myself starting to once again move my hips. This time he didn't stop me. He placed both of his hands on top of my knees and moved them slowly up the insides of my thighs. _

"_I actually have every intention of showing you my idea Miss Masen. I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to." He stared deep into my eyes and smiled. I could once again feel his arousal as my own desire was making me very wet. _

_I pressed my lips onto his placing my hands behind his head as I kissed him. I didn't want him to pull away at all. He parted his lips for me and I sucked on his bottom lip. His hands left my thighs and moved around to my backside pulling me tightly into him while his tongue entered my mouth and we deepened our kiss wrestling our tongues together. I continued to grind my hips against him and he was using his hands on my butt to help guide me. He groaned into my mouth as he moved me more quickly against him. I could feel the heat of our passion through the thin material of our swimsuits. _

_His hands moved up my back while I continued a slow rhythm with my hips. Once his warm hands were against the skin at the top of my back I pulled my lips away from him and tipped my head back letting him trail his soft kisses down the front of my neck. He kept kissing down the front of my chest until he reached the top of my bathing suit. Then he ran his tongue along the top of my skin there sending shivers throughout my body. I moaned quietly as I said his name, "oh, Jazz."_

_Placing his hands on my sides he trailed them down letting his thumbs brush over the sides of my breasts. My breathing was heavy because of his touch and I watched his eyes stare at my very erect nipples knowing he was the cause. This made him smile a very devilish grin and his hands traveled the rest of the way down my sides and once again rested inside my thighs. His fingers trailed along the edge of my swimsuit and rubbed against the outsides of the thin fabric making me press tighter into him. _

_Staring into each other's eyes he raised an eyebrow as if asking permission. I nodded my head eagerly and pressed my lips close to his ear, "Yes, Jasper, yes." I whispered then started kissing and sucking on his neck. _

_I felt his fingers slip under my swimsuit and heard him moan as he felt how wet I was. There was no waitress to interrupt us this time. He moved the fabric to the side and I pressed my bare crotch against the very thin material of his swimsuit, the only thing separating me from his arousal. His hips pressed into me causing me to slide against his hardness and I rubbed back against him. I wanted to know how he would feel inside me but he had other things in mind. _

_With one hand on the small of my back he let his other hand slide down the front of my wetness and I felt his finger slip inside of me. He tried to stifle a groan as I bit into his neck and moaned against his skin. This seemed to turn him on even more and I could tell how much he wanted me. I wanted him more than anything. His knees came up closer behind me and I lay back against them feeling another finger slide into me and pull back out to rub against my arousal. His eyes watched my reaction and he once again pressed his fingers up into me a d began to move them softly in and out stroking, deeper and faster each time. We let out a loud moan together and I brought my mouth quickly back to his to muffle the sound. We immediately let our tongues ravage against each other and I couldn't help but move myself against his erection as his fingers continued to please me. The fabric of his shorts rubbed against the top of my aroused core as I moved back and forth on him continuously; giving us both heightened pleasure. I pressed my mouth tighter against his as I tried to keep myself from letting out a scream. We quietly groaned together as we both reached a point of release and he then carefully slipped his fingers back out, fixing the material of my suit to cover me. He then wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me tightly against his chest kissing my forehead. _

"_Oh Jazz, that felt wonderful." I sighed feeling completely relaxed and at home in his arms. _

"_You have no idea," he said as he kissed me sweetly on the lips. _

**Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep**_. _

"Damn!" I heard Rose yell as she threw her pillow across the room at the alarm clock. "Why does that freaking thing have to always go off right at the good part of my dream!"

I giggled at her frustration knowing my dream was actually a memory that I knew I would never forget.

"Alice, what the hell do you have such a big grin on your face for?" Rose grumbled and her hair was sticking up in all directions making me giggle.

"Oh, just remembering something your brother did to help me relax last night," I told her with a happy tone to my voice. It seemed to annoy her that I was so cheerful this morning. I just couldn't keep myself from thinking about Jasper and myself on the balcony last night.

Rose took advantage of my daydreaming. I saw her snatch the pillow out from under Bella's head and whip it across the room at me. Before I even had a chance to put my arms up and block the impact, it hit me square in the face. Luckily I closed my eyes seconds before it hit. I heard a burst of laughter coming from the other bed and saw Bella was wide-awake now too.

"What in the world is going on in here, I can hear you all the way out in the hall?" asked Esme. She was peeking her head in the door before she stepped inside. We all looked at her and started laughing once again.

"Rose is having issues with the alarm clock." I told her. "Something about interrupting her dream…I would guess Emmett was involved."

"And Alice is quite happy this morning due to something Jasper did last night and she's not fessing up!" Rose shouted causing Esme and Bella to stare at us both in shock.

"What?" Rose and I both questioned at the same exact time causing us all to once again erupt in uncontrollable laughter.

"Did you sleep well Bella?" Esme asked.

"Yeah, sure." She answered hesitantly not wanting to find herself as the next target.

"Good, then I can get to the reason I originally came here for," explained Esme. "I am guessing you girls have not yet looked outside. It's very windy today and we have some stormy weather heading in our direction. Carlisle and Jack are already out on the boat making sure that everything is secure. Since there won't be any tours going out today, you will be helping me at the shop."

"So the boys what about the boys? Are they working with us today?" I asked.

"Well, they have to work somewhere." She said with a smile. "I have already informed them that I will be using their muscles to help me rearrange the stock room and conduct inventory. You ladies can handle things in the front of the shop. I also expect everyone to be on his or her best behavior. Now get yourselves ready and I will see you all down in the kitchen." She winked at us before heading out the door.

"Yes!" I shouted as I stood up and jumped up and down on my bed.

"Shhh, Alice! You are way too hyper today." Rose scolded me even though she and Bella were bouncing on their bed too.

We all got dressed and ready in record time talking about what it was going to be like working with the boys.

"We probably won't see them much," said Bella. "Esme will have them busy in the back room with her."

"But if we hurry downstairs now we can see them in the kitchen!" I pointed out as I ran past them to get out the door first.

"Hey!" Bella and Rose yelled to me at the same time as I heard them running up behind me right before I heard a loud thump.

"Ouch!" whined Bella. She was sprawled out on the floor. She either tripped on the rug or Rose playfully took her out as she tried to get in front of her, I couldn't be sure. All I know is we were once again laughing as we picked her up and scurried into the kitchen.

"Damn!" grumbled Rose again. _It must be_ _her word of the day. _"They're not even here."

"Hey Einstein, look out onto the patio," I said as I pointed outside. We could see the boys through the sliding glass doors. They were drinking their coffee and watching the clouds roll in. We each grabbed something a cup of coffee and a donut and joined them at the patio table.

"Good morning," everyone announced at once causing us all to yell JINX at the same time and burst out once again into a fit of laughter. Despite the weather, this was going to be a very good day. _I had just had a feeling_.

**RPOV**

I quickly made my way toward Emmett who had his arms open and stretched out in a hugging gesture. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and sat in his lap.

"So, you boys will be working in the shop with us today huh?" I winked at Emmett as I brought the steaming mug to my mouth.

"Yup." Emmett winked back at me and gave my butt a squeeze.

"Actually, Esme said something about doing inventory in the back room. I have a feeling we'll be up to our noses in boxes which unfortunately means we won't be seeing much of each other today." Edward said with a shrug while looking at Bella the entire time. Bella had taken the seat next to Edward and they were holding hands. _Those two are just too damn adorable but they really need to get past the hand holding stage and get to the "let me show you my naughty bits" stage. I'm going to need to talk to Alice about giving the virgin lovebirds a bit of a push. _

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out." Emmett stated with a sly grin.

"Alright kids, let's head to the shop. I'd like to get there before the sky opens up." We followed Esme through the house and out to the Range Rover. There wasn't enough room for all of us to fit and I saw an opportunity to help out our resident virgins.

"Bella, you sit on Edward's lap in the back seat." I tried to sound firm, like I wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Wha…? Why?"

"Because there isn't enough room for all of us and because I said so." Taking a page out of Alice's book, I stood there with my hands on my hips and glared at her.

"Um, okay then. You don't mind do you Edward?" She was looking at Edward with a demure smile.

"Not in the least." Edward opened his arms wide beckoning her to his lap. Bella hopped in and sat in his lap and he wrapped his arms around her protectively. I turned and looked at Alice who gave me a thumbs up and then hopped in the car. The drive was quick and short and Edward and Bella both sported Cheshire cat grins the entire way. We made our way into the shop single file and the boys lingered near Esme while we girls began our prep to open the store.

"Boys, if you'll follow me into the back I can show you how we conduct the inventory." The boys followed Esme into the back room as we opened the doors for business.

An hour passed and we hadn't had one customer, which I blamed on the torrential downpour outside. I could hear grunts coming from the back room. I looked at Alice and Bella looked at me and we started laughing. Our poor boys were sweating in the back doing manual labor while we filed our nails. At that point Esme came rushing into the front with a panicked look on her face.

"Girls, I'm sorry but I've got to run back to the house. The neighbor called and the wind knocked a tree onto the roof and I need to get over there to assess the damage. Do you think you can handle things here?"

"Of course Esme, do you need any help?" Bella asked with a look of concern on her face.

"No thank you dear, Carlisle and Jack are on their way back to the house now. I'll call you if we need anything." She waved and quickly made her way to her car.

"I hope the damage isn't too bad." Alice said with a sad expression.

The boys made their way to the front of the shop stating they needed a break. I saw my chance for some alone time with Emmett and wasn't going to let it slip away.

"Emmett, I was going to try on the same bikini Bella bought but in red. Would you mind giving me your opinion?" I walked up to him and placed my index finger on his chest and dragged it down to his abdominal muscles. His muscles twitched under my touch and he smiled.

"Of course babe, lead the way."

I grabbed the bikini and made my way to the dressing room. I looked back quickly to see Jasper leading Alice to the back room and Edward was leaning over the counter talking to Bella.

"You sit here Emmett while I change." I pushed him onto a small bench in the dressing room area and closed the door to the dressing room stall behind me. I put the bikini on and really liked it but needed to show Emmett to set my plan in motion. I opened the door and walked out stopping right in front of him. "Well, what do you think?"

He swallowed hard as his eyes moved up and down my body. I was sure he liked what he saw based on the obvious physical reaction. "Damn Rosie! You have to buy that!" He reached his hands out to me but I took a step back. I was going to tease him just a little longer.

"I'm glad you like it and _you _can buy it for me." I winked and made my way back to the dressing room. I had him where I wanted him, all it would take was one word and he was mine for the taking.

"Oh Emmett, can you help me with this?" I wanted him to take the bikini off me just to tease him more and I always found it erotic when a man undressed me.

"Sure babe, what do you need help with?" He opened the door and stepped in. I turned around and faced the mirror as I pointed to the tie in the back. He slowly pulled the tie around my neck and the top fell forward exposing my chest. I saw him glancing at my chest in the mirror as he pulled the bottom tie and the top fell to the floor. I felt his strong hands on my shoulders and he turned me so I was facing him. I looked down and saw his shorts tenting and straining against the material.

"Rose, you are so damn sexy. Do you need help with the bottoms too?" His voice was deep and husky.

"Uh-huh." I bit my lip as his hands slowly moved down my arms and onto my hips. He grabbed the sides of the bikini bottom and pulled it down. I lifted one foot after the other as he helped remove it. He was kneeling in front of me, staring at my Brazilian wax job. "Fuck Rosie."

He placed one arm in the center of my chest and slowly pushed me back so my upper body was leaning on the mirror and then spread my legs further apart. He lifted one leg and placed it over his shoulder and leaned his face into to my most sensitive area. I felt his hot tongue sweep in and down through my wetness. I closed my eyes and let me head rest against the mirror. The cold mirror did nothing to cool down my overheated body. I tried to stifle the moans as his tongue found my entrance and pushed in. He pulsed his tongue in and out in a slow teasing rhythm making me want to beg for more. I had to bite my tongue as I felt two of his fingers replace his tongue, thrusting in and out at a faster pace. His tongue moved up to the bundle of nerves that had began throbbing. His fingers kept the same sinful beat as his tongue and I quickly felt myself going over the edge. I couldn't keep myself from crying out. "SHIT!" He kissed my delicate and sensitive area one last time before placing my foot back on the ground. He kissed his way up my body until we were face to face.

I leaned forward and grabbed his shirt, lifting it over his head and discarding it on the floor. I unbuckled his pants and pushed them down to the floor as he stepped out of them.

"Going commando Emmett?" He simply snorted and pushed me against the mirror again. His hands grasped my legs behind the knees and pulled me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my ankles as he slowly placed me down onto him. I felt him fill me completely and had to hiss at the sheer size of him. _I don't think I'll ever get used to King Kong Emmett. _He took a step back placing my body at an angle that pushed him even further into me. My head, shoulders and upper back were all that touched the mirror and every thrust forced my skin to squeak against it. His hands gripped my hips almost painfully as he thrust in and out. I was sure I'd have bruises tomorrow but today I didn't care. The sound of our bodies slapping together every time he slammed into me was erotic. I could feel my orgasm building and I couldn't hold back the moans any longer. "Jesus…oh God…"

He was grunting in between each thrust and I was sure he wouldn't last long. I felt the buildup become almost unbearable and when I thought I couldn't take anymore, I finally peaked for the second time. My walls clamped down repetitively on him as he reached his own climax with one final grunt and thrust. We were both heaving breathlessly, enjoying the remnants of our orgasms. He leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips as he removed himself and slowly placed me down on my feet. He held me close until I was able to steady myself.

"I can get used to this." He said rather hoarsely.

"Me too. Feel free to follow me into a dressing room anytime." I gave him a quick kiss and started getting dressed. I made my way to the front of the store stopping at the entrance to the dressing room to wait for him. We were both grinning like kids at Christmas until we noticed there was no one around.

"Where is everyone?" Alice and I said at the same time, scaring each other. "AGH!" We both screamed at the same time and looked at each other with wide eyes. Alice and Jasper were standing at the entrance to the back room.

"Where were you guys?" Alice asked me with a smirk.

"Dressing room, you?" I responded with my own smirk.

"Back room. What were you two doing?" Is she really asking me that? She's got the same guilty expression written all over her face, as I'm sure I do.

"Same thing as you guys, I'm sure." Emmett answered with a chuckle.

"Oh…well we were going over emergency procedures in case of….you know…an emergency." Jasper said a bit flustered.

"Yeah, same here." Emmett merely chuckled his response out.

"Where's Bella?" Alice asked.

"Where's Edward?" Jasper and Emmett asked in unison.

We looked around the shop realizing they were nowhere to be found. I heard a giggle and looked toward the front window. Edward and Bella were sitting outside on a bench under the awning and they were kissing. They were sitting side by side, leaning into each other, and Bella had her legs draped across Edward's lap. He had his arm around her shoulder and his other hand was placed delicately on the side of her face. She had both her hands tangled in his hair causing it to look more of a disheveled mess than usual.

"They're outside sitting on that bench. Aren't they getting wet sitting there?" I pointed in the direction of the front window.

"Is that a tongue? Did I see a tongue? Does she have his tongue in her mouth? Damnit, he's got his tongue in her mouth!" Emmett started making his way to the door but I stepped in front of him.

"Em, she's a grown woman and she likes him. He likes her too and he seems like a really nice guy. Calm down and let them enjoy themselves baby." I placed both hands on his chest trying to calm him down.

"Emmett, remember what you told her before we came here? You told her you'd ease back on the overbearing big brother act. He's a good kid Em and I can think of a million other guys who would be worse for her. And you _did _tell her to live a little remember?" Jasper was the voice of reason and Emmett couldn't deny what he said.

"You're right Jazz, you're right. But it doesn't mean I have to witness it." Emmett made his way to the front door of the shop. Edward and Bella had stopped kissing and her head was on his shoulder. He was stroking her hair sweetly and whispering something. It was a Kodak moment, which was rudely interrupted by a muscle, bound buffoon.

"**HEY!"** Emmett yelled so loudly that Edward jumped and Bella toppled to the ground. Edward quickly reached down and scooped Bella up placing her back on her feet.

"DAMMIT EMMETT! What is your problem!" She was yelling at Emmett as loud as she could as Edward tried brushing the dirt off her back.

"Sorry, just trying to get your attention s'all. Edward, will you stop feeling up my sister? I'm standing right here." Edward immediately froze and then quickly removed his hands, which had been brushing dirt off Bella's derriere.

"She had some dirt on her. I didn't realize I was…" Edward was stammering his explanation out as his cheeks mimicked Bella's blush. Emmett simply threw his hands up in the air and walked back inside followed by a blushing Edward and Bella.

"What were you two doing out there?" Asked the always curious and nosy pixie.

"Um…." Bella looked up to Edward for the answer. He took hold of her hand and entwined their fingers.

"We just wanted to get some fresh air." Edward said matter-of-factly followed by a chuckle.

"What's so funny then?" Alice asked.

"Um….well...we wanted some quiet to be honest." Bella stated shyly.

"Quiet?" Emmett asked with a confused look on his face.

Jasper's brow furrowed. "Oh God, you didn't?"

"Didn't what? Will someone tell me what the hell is being discussed here 'cause I haven't quite caught on yet?" Emmett barked out as I rolled my eyes.

"Well Emmett, between you and Rose in the dressing room and Jasper and Alice in the back room we needed some quiet. There were a few too many moans, grunts and Oh Gods for us to handle. I felt like I was on the set of a really bad porn movie." Edward said as he tried to hold back his laughter.

"Oh my God, you heard us?" Alice screeched before she covered her face with her hands.

"Did you actually think you were being quiet? Wait, you actually thought we had no idea what you were doing back there didn't you?" Edward asked mockingly.

"I guess we were wrong, sorry guys." Jasper said apologetically as he put his arm around Alice.

Emmett started laughing boisterously. "Well I for one am not embarrassed one bit. Yup, I'm proud I can make Rosie scream those oh Gods." I slapped his arm playfully and smiled. Edward doubled over in laughter quickly followed by Jasper and then the rest of us. _It's best to laugh than blush in my opinion. _

A few minutes passed and everyone seemed to have calmed down enough to go back to work. The boys went back to finish up the inventory and I started to play poker with Alice and Bella. A few hours passed and the boys came back to the front of the store to find us still playing poker. They were covered in sweat and their shirts were sticking to them in all the right places. I couldn't help but stare at Emmett's sweaty, sticky body. Alice was ogling Jasper who simply winked at her. Bella, wearing her trademark blush, was staring at Edward's chest; he simply gave her his trademark lopsided grin.

"Is it closing time yet? I'm dying for a shower and I'll be happy if I never see that backroom again." Emmett whined as he plopped down on a stool.

"Oh Emmie, but we didn't get to pull a Jasper and Alice yet." I whined mockingly trying to get a rise out of Alice.

"No worries babe, I can take one for the team….just for you though." He responded with a wink.

"Ew, I don't need to hear this Emmett." Bella cringed and physically shook at the thought of us christening the backroom.

"Enough sex talk please!" Jasper stated after seeing Alice's pout. _I see it's okay for the pixie to talk about everyone else's sex lives but heaven forbid hers is the topic of discussion. Hmmm, ammo for later. _

"You play poker?" Edward asked Bella, effectively changing the subject.

"Yup, Emmett taught me."

"Watch out too, she's a card shark." Emmett said as he proudly pat her back.

"All of you can play poker?" Jasper asked skeptically.

"Girls can play poker too Jazzie." Alice said as she rolled her eyes.

"Hmm, I see a game of poker later. What say you boys?" Emmett said as she stroked his chin.

"Sounds good but how about we make it interesting and up the ante a little?" Edward asked as he mimicked Emmett's chin stroking.

"Why, what did you have in mind Edward?" Jasper asked copying the other two. All three of them stood there stroking their chins trying to look as if they were deep in thought.

"You three look really stupid right now, you know that right? So what did you have in mind to up the ante of this little poker game?" I asked.

"Later, Jack's here." Edward said as he gestured to the front door. We locked up the shop and headed towards Jack and the awaiting van.

"Would you like to sit in my lap Bella? For old time's sake of course." _Oh that Edward is a bit slicker than I gave him credit for. _

"I'd like that Edward because clearly there isn't enough room." Bella said sarcastically while looking in my direction. I stuck my tongue out at her as she climbed onto Edward's lap. _She will so thank me later. _

We got back to the house and saw a huge blue tarp covering a portion of the roof.

"Damn tree did a nasty job on the roof. Gonna take some fixin' and cleanin' up." Jack said dryly. We all ran in the house trying to get out of the rain as fast as possible.

"Oh good you're home. Girls, I have some bad news. The tree hit the roof right over your room and mine and Carlisle's and the carpet is soaked….." Alice and I quickly cut Esme off with our screeches.

"OHMYGODMYCLOTHES!"

"Calm down girls, the clothes are fine. It's mainly the carpet and one bed that will need to be replaced but your bathroom is still useable. I'm afraid our bedroom got the brunt of the damage so Carlisle and I are heading to a friend's house for the night. In the meantime, I'm going to have to ask you to bunk up with the boys. I'm sure they won't mind." She was trying hard to fight back a smirk.

"But Esme…you want us to sleep in the same room as one of the boys?" I asked trying to sound shocked when deep down I was doing my best imitation of Alice on a Redbull.

"Rosalie, I may have been born at night sweetie but it wasn't last night. Carlisle and I are well aware of what goes on under our roof. You are all consenting adults and I trust you are being responsible." She gave us a genuine smile that we returned in kind.

"You knew? You know?" Alice was shocked.

"Of course and we think it's wonderful. I'll leave it to the six of you to figure out who bunks with whom but I think I have an idea how that will pan out. Please remember though, this is a temporary fix. I ask that you give it a while longer before you all make this a permanent move. Oh and don't forget, tomorrow is your day off." She gave us a sly wink and walked into the kitchen.

We all looked at each other for a moment taking in what Esme had said. Our faces all showed elation at being able to share rooms with each other. I was going to have to figure out a way to make this a permanent move but first I needed to have a talk with Emmett about where _we _were headed.

"Wanna be my roomie?" Emmett asked me as he slapped me on the ass playfully.

"Sure Emmie."

I saw Jasper look at Alice and wink. Edward and Bella were looking at each other from under their lashes. I was certain Alice would end up in Jasper's room but I wasn't certain if Bella was ready to take that step just yet. I was going to have to do something to get the two of them to loosen up. _Lord knows they would be knockin' boots if they weren't so shy and virginal. _

"I call dibs on the shower! And then….we play poker!" Emmett yelled as he ran upstairs.

We all headed upstairs to shower and change. Our room was a disaster in one corner but thankfully our clothes were spared just as Esme promised.

"Why do you think the boys want to play poker so badly?" Bella asked innocently.

"Yeah, and what do you think they plan on doing to up the ante?" Alice asked with a look of confusion on her face.

"I think I have an idea ladies and may I make one suggestion?" They nodded in my direction to continue. "Wear your best bra and panty set but nothing too see through."

**A/N: Ante Up!! The cards are about to be dealt. There will be losers and winners in this game and everyone is wearing their best poker face to the table. The umm… gloves … are coming off in this battle! **

**Want a chance to place your bet? Take our poll on who you think will win the game! Then check back on Sunday to find out. **


	14. Hats ON for the Winners

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only playing with them for a bit and promise to put them back in the toy box when we are done; we hold no rights to them otherwise, although it would be fun to hold some of them!**

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews and your input in our latest poll. The girls won your votes so let's see if you were right. Can everyone say ALL IN? Without further hesitation let's get into this chapter! **

_Previously: "I think I have an idea ladies and may I make one suggestion?" They nodded in my direction to continue. "Wear your best bra and panty set but nothing too see through." _

**BPOV**

My eyes were wide and my mouth open. I'm not sure just how long I stood there looking like a store mannequin. Alice was jumping around the room like she had just won tickets to a sold out concert.

"Bella, snap out of it!" Rose laughed. "You're great at poker. I don't think we need to worry."

"Rose, I always just play for fun." I could feel myself getting more nervous by the minute. "I'd never been pressured to win."

"Well, they haven't said what the ante is yet, but I am just making my 'thinking like a guy' guess." She said tapping her finger on the side of her cheek, "and you should have no reason to be nervous because if I'm correct and we somehow end up in our bras and panties, they will be the ones looking all nervous!" Rose's laughter filled the room.

"Bella, we need to make sure you are wearing something really cute." Alice chirped as she rummaged through a dresser drawer. "Ha! Perfect for you and the tags are still on so you are more than welcome to keep it too!"

A satin panty set floated across the room landing on the bed next to me. I carefully examined them to see how much coverage they could possibly provide. They were such a beautiful baby blue and felt so soft. The edges of the bra were lined in lace as well as the panties. I was actually excited to wear them.

Alice chose a pink leopard print set and Rosalie selected a black and beige lace set which thankfully was lined to provide enough coverage. We all quickly changed into our cute underclothes, modeling for each other, before putting on shorts and a tank top.

"Wow, those are adorable," commented Rose. "Bella, you are going to make Edward lose his concentration!"

"You guys look really great too." I returned the comment with a grin. "Ladies, I am going to make sure the guys lose this game. I don't plan on sitting down there in my underwear in front of my brother." Determination was showing on my face. "Even though we play on our own, that doesn't mean we can't team up too!"

"Damn straight!" cheered Alice and Rose.

"Now let's go kick some ass!" yelled Alice trying to look mean. This caused Rose and I to burst out laughing as we went to find the boys.

When we were down the stairs we followed the sound of laughter. A round card table was set up in the media room and there were bowls of munchies and a pitcher of lemonade on a side table. The boys were huddled together by the stereo no doubt coming up with the ante. As soon as they noticed us they quickly stopped talking, stood up straight and put on serious faces. I couldn't help but let my eyes glance up and down Edward's body. _Whoa, baby_! He was wearing a pair of pull on navy blue sweat shorts and a gray Michigan t-shirt. He looked very sporty and his hair was still wet from the shower. _Wow I would love to run my fingers through his damp hair. _My eyes finally locked onto his and I tried to fight the warm feeling that was building in my face giving me away. I took a deep breath and made myself focus on what was about to happen tonight. At that moment, my brother gave me a jolt back into reality when he opened his mouth and a bunch of royal crap came tumbling out.

"Ladies, are you prepared to lose and bow to the masters of poker?" Emmett grinned as he stuck out his chest proudly. I half expected him to start beating on it like a gorilla or something. Jasper and Edward just nodded their heads and stood next to him with their arms crossed.

Are you kidding me? They're actually that confident? They are so full of themselves.

"Emmett, give it a rest." I said shaking my head. "I sure hope you brought a box of tissue with you for when you lose and start crying like a baby."

Rose and Alice were snickering beside me. They each had their hands on their hips giving the guys attitudes with their bodies.

"Remember baby sis, you learned from the master and I didn't teach you ALL of my tricks." Emmett tried to point out to me while he wagged his finger back and forth in front of him. _What the hell is that all about?_

"You know what Emm, BABY SIS has a few tricks of her own…so **BRING IT**!" I replied as I did a very sassy SNAP in his face and turned to go fix myself a glass of lemonade.

"OOhhhhh, Emmett she just dissed you!" Jasper started snickering but was silenced rather quickly by Emmett's punch in the arm. Edward thought it better to stay quiet.

Everyone fixed a drink and found a seat at the table. We alternated boys with girls so no one could purposefully talk to each other and cheat. We were going to have to watch carefully for that stuff. Jasper and Emmett were on either side of me placing Edward across the table in my line of sight. Those green eyes were going to make it a bit hard to concentrate but there was a lot at stake in this game so I had to keep my focus. I could stare at those green eyes all night after the game if I wanted to. _And I really, really wanted to._ I was glad we were going to have tomorrow off from work.

"Okay, here's how it's going to go," Jasper cleared his throat before he continued. "We are playing Seven Card Stud and…"

"And that's right; we're playing the game that was named after ME." Emmett crowed.

"Shut up Emmett!" everyone yelled at once. He grimaced and stuck out his lower lip in a pout. I saw Rosalie blow him a kiss from across the table which made the smile return to his face.

"As I was saying, we are playing Seven Card Stud and we have adjusted the ante a bit." He proceeded carefully to make sure we all understood, "the winner of each hand will call for the ante at the _end_ of a round."

Rose was nodding her head, she knew exactly what was coming and we knew she was right.

Jasper continued, "The ante will be a piece of clothing from ALL of the losers of the opposite sex. If a boy wins a hand…ALL the girls ante up, and if a girl wins a hand…ALL of the boys ante up. The winner of the final hand gets to decide the fate of the losing sex. The ultimate prize being; a punishment of some sort." He finished with a grin directed at Alice.

I looked at Rose and Alice and we rolled our eyes at once. Emmett was smiling devilishly at Rose while Edward just shrugged his shoulders and gave me that adorable crooked smile. I would almost do anything for that smile, even if I had to lose just to let him see me in my new satin panty set. _NO Bella! What are you thinking? We have to win this game and get to the ultimate prize. _

"We won't make things uncomfortable since we have siblings in this game so, everything stops at underwear." Jasper stressed looking directly at Emmett who had a cheesy grin on his face and was raising his eyebrows at Rose.

"What?" Emmett asked innocently only to feel my hand slap the back of his head.

"Behave you animal!" I scolded him. "I better not ever hear you give me a hard time about MY behavior!"

"Okay Bella, okay," he held his hands up in surrender. "Jasper deal the cards."

After shuffling a few times the cards were dealt. Each of us received two cards face down and the third card was dealt face up. We would normally place our bet based on what was in our hands at the time but since our ante was paid at the end of a hand we just continued on. Three more cards were dealt face up. We could now see four of the cards that each of our opponents had lain out in front of them.

I took a moment to look around at everyone. Taking in their expressions and body movements. It was very quiet while the concentration took over.

Alice was wiggling in her chair with a big smile on her face. Both she and Jasper had an Ace showing on the table but Alice was also showing a King.

Jasper was keeping very solemn trying to read the faces of the rest of us but cracking a grin as he noticed Alice's giddiness.

Emmett was Mr. Serious as he tried to not give anything away but I already knew that meant so far he didn't have shit in his hand. The only thing he had showing on the table was a King and some very low cards.

Rose was doing well and stayed very calm, she was hard to read. A queen and a Jack were her high cards. She didn't seem very worried; she was too busy being amused by watching Emmett.

Edward was looking at me and moving his eyes up and down. _Don't you dare dazzle me at this table Mr. Masen!_ I quickly looked away after I noticed he only had low cards showing on the table.

The final card was then dealt face down and we each picked it up carefully. At the same time I heard a sigh, a squeal, a growl and a giggle.

"I dare anyone to beat this!" squealed Alice as she put down a flush of five Clubs.

"Son of a …" I quickly slapped my hand over Emmett's mouth as we all lay our cards on the table.

"Alice it's all you girl." I said with a smile, as I looked at all the cards.

"Yahoo boys, gimme those shirts!" she jumped out of her chair and ran around the table collecting her bounty and doing a happy dance. When she reached Jasper she very slowly pulled his shirt off for him letting her hands trail along his chest. Rose took advantage of his arms being in the air and poked him in the side making him laugh.

"For the love of God, just take his shirt off!" groaned Emmett, while Edward slapped his hand to his forehead before closing his eyes and laughing.

She skipped back to her seat with a satisfied grin and tossed the shirts behind her on the floor. "We can now continue." She announced while she calmly placed her hands on the table in front of her.

It was Rose's turn to shuffle. She made sure she shuffled a couple of extra times just to mix the cards up more. One by one we received our cards with the first two face down and the next one face up for all to see. We then took a moment to see what everyone had on the table and the dealing continued. Three more cards were given face up and the last card face down. Everyone was staring at their cards and then at each other to get a clue as to who may have the best hand. I was having some rotten luck because I just wasn't getting the cards I needed.

Jasper was staying calm and was still hard to read. He took a sip of his drink and then sat back in his chair. _He must have a so, so hand. _

Rose crossed her arms and started looking around the room. _Nothing on the table for her and nothing in her hand either I would bet. _

Alice had her nose all wrinkled up and was mostly sitting still. _Nothing there_ _either._

Emmett was sitting bolt upright in his chair looking very smug. _Oh shit, I think he's holding some good cards_. There was an Ace showing in front of him and that could mean trouble.

Edward, Edward, Edward…why can't I see any of your cards? _Bella you silly girl, you're staring at his chest that's why! OH Crap! _Glancing up to break my daydream I once again met his emerald eyes and couldn't help returning the smile he was giving me.

"Bella….hey space cadet, are you ready to show your stuff?" Emmett elbowed me.

"Show my… what?" I came crashing back to earth.

"Your cards Bella, are you ready to show your hand." Asked Edward with a smirk.

"Sure, sure." I said and placed my cards down on the table with everyone else.

"Yeah, baby!" shouted Emmett. "Woohoo! Read 'em and weep! Boys I do believe I have just leveled the playing field." Jasper grinned while Edward placed his hands behind his head and rocked back in his chair balancing it on the two back legs.

It was now Emmett's turn to collect his winnings as he paraded around the table. Alice winked at Jasper as she pulled off her shirt and tossed it behind her to Emmett. Jasper seemed quite pleased with what he saw as he stared intently at Alice. It was almost like those two had some kind of an invisible beam of comprehension going on between them.

I hesitantly grabbed the bottom of my shirt and then, just to get it over with, quickly tugged it over my head. As I did this, the band that was holding my hair back in a ponytail slipped out. My hair cascaded over my shoulders at about the same time that Edward fell backwards in his chair.

"Edward, are you okay?" I asked running around the table and leaning over him. He was on the floor flat on his back next to the tipped over chair. As he lay there laughing at his situation he looked into my eyes and then let them look down to my barely covered chest. _WOW!_ I read his lips perfectly as he mouthed the word so no one else could hear. Realizing exactly what he was looking at, I stood back up feeling the blush cross my cheeks.

"Edward give me your hand, and Bella you better sit down _now_." Said Emmett, shaking his head with a laugh as everyone snickered at us.

As Emmett made his way over to Rose she stopped him in front of her. "I can manage myself sir." She said and wiggled her way out of her shirt as he watched." He nodded his approval at her current clothing situation and returned to his chair in a daze.

"Okay back to the game," said Jasper.

This continued on for two more hands with Rosalie winning the next round resulting in the boys standing to drop their shorts in unison while the girls whooped at them. Then Jasper won the hand after that and we mimicked the boys and got it over with quickly by dropping our shorts all together also.

Luckily Edward's chair was firmly planted on the floor this time. I think my face stayed quite red for the next few minutes as I shyly glanced down at the table after I noticed that Edward was looking at me.

"Holy heaven Rose!" exclaimed Emmett.

"Yeah Rose, can you say exhibitionist?" asked Jasper with a grimace then he turned his gaze over to Alice who was playfully waving at him. Alice and Jasper began intently flirting with each other with their eyes. It was very intense and once again I found myself looking down at the table waiting for the cards to be dealt.

"What?" she slyly smiled at Jasper as she stared at Emmett across the table. "Am I distracting you?"

"Everybody, sit _please_?" Edward begged with a shaky voice.

"Sounds like you boys are going to have a hard time concentrating for this next hand." Giggled Alice.

"Yeah, I need to sit." Said Jasper in an almost whisper as he watched Alice bouncing on her toes.

We all took our seats so we could finish up the very last hand. The guys were only looking at the table in front of them or stealing glances at their girl and noticing that we were doing the same to them. Everyone had a nervous grin plastered to their face.

I could feel the heat of Edward's eyes staring at me and I cautiously let my eyes drift up to meet his. I wondered if he could see me trembling. As I looked into his eyes I saw something that seemed to calm my nervousness. I'm not sure what it was but I could tell he was waiting for me to look up at him. He stared deep into my eyes for a moment and then nodded his head slightly as that adorable crooked smile made its way to his mouth. I smiled back at him feeling better that he was not gawking at me like some weirdo the way Emmett was doing to Rose. _Gross!_

The winner would get to make the losing team do as they wished. Even though I was nervous about it, I knew this was going to be fun. All eyes were on the cards as Emmett dealt and everyone's expression stayed blank.

First two cards were dealt to each of us face down. Emmett took a moment to pause and let us look at our cards, but no one gave away anything with their face.

The next card was placed face up in front of each of us. All three of the boys were showing an Ace and their faces all lit up at the same time as they nodded to each other.

We watched intently as we each received three more cards face up. Once again, Emmett gave us a moment to look around the table at what was showing. _Oh no!_ Edward now had two Kings with his Ace. _This could be a problem_. In front of me, I looked to see a Ten of hearts, Three of clubs, Five of diamonds, and Queen of hearts. I was holding the King and Jack of hearts in my hand. _Lady luck I need you now!_

"Here goes." Said Emmett and hesitantly passed around the final card face down.

The guys seemed very smug like they had this one in the bag but I knew just by what was on the table that no one was going to beat my hand. I was so confident that I jumped up on my chair and tossed my cards face up on the table.

"SNAP!" I shouted and laughed loudly at the expression on Emmett's face.

"Holy Crap! A Royal Flush!" he yelled. Then his bottom lip poked out as he gave me the sad puppy face. This only made me laugh more until I realized everyone was staring at me as I stood on my chair in only my underclothes.

"Oops," I whispered quickly stepping down with the help of Emmett so I wouldn't fall.

"Looks like you boys are now at our mercy." Said Rose grinning devilishly.

"Girls, huddle over here and let's discuss the punishment." Grinned Alice.

**EPOV**

I watched the girls all get up from the table and make their way into the kitchen making sure to grab their clothes along the way. I watched Bella's retreating form not able to tear my eyes away from the way her hips swayed with each step. Once she was out of site, I stood up and put my clothes back on as Emmett and Jasper followed suit.

"That was one hell of a hand Bella had." I mused as I pulled my shirt over my head.

"Yeah, I guess I _DID _teach her all of my tricks." Emmett said while rubbing the back of his head.

We put the card table away and sat on the sofa waiting for the girls to come back with their punishment. I was nervous as hell and had no idea what they would come up with. I knew how devious my sister could be and was certain Bella would go easy on me but I wasn't sure about Rose. "What do you think they're going to have us do?"

"Dunno but I'm sure it can't be that bad. They're girls, they'll probably have us feed them breakfast in bed or something." Emmett quipped with a smug smile on his face. I was almost positive it wouldn't be that good; serving Bella breakfast in bed would be more of a reward than a punishment.

"You're an idiot Emmett if you honestly think it will be that easy. I know my sister and she's going to want to embarrass us." Jasper retorted while smacking Emmett on the back of the head.

"Ow, what is it with people hitting me on the head?" Emmett asked while rubbing his scalp.

"Maybe it's because we think it _just might _help knock some sense into that pea brain of yours." Rose responded from the doorway. Alice and Bella flanked her and each of them was holding a hat. Unfortunately, Bella had put her clothes back on but her shorts and tank top were tight enough to still give me a nice view of her sensuous curves.

"Nice Rosie, real nice. Just go ahead and insult your boyfriend a little more and see if you get any tonight." Emmett said smugly.

"Emmett, you know better than to threaten me with abstinence. As if you could go a day without this." She replied while moving her hand up and down her body like Vanna White.

"I was just kidding baby." Emmett pleaded.

"I know sweetie." Rose said as she walked towards us. "Now you boys move the furniture as close to the wall as possible. We need lots of space in the center of the room to be able to conduct your punishment."

We stood up with confused expressions but moved the furniture as Rose directed. Once we were finished, we walked to the center of the room where the girls were standing. They all had smug expressions on their faces and were still holding the hats. _What do they plan on doing with those damn hats?_

"What's with the hats?" I asked while gesturing to the fedora in Bella's hand. Emmett and Jasper nodded in agreement to my question.

"What, _this_?" Bella said coyly as she put the fedora on her head. _That looks so hot on her! Mmmm, I can picture her wearing that and nothing else. _Snap out of it Edward! I had to shake my head to clear the naughty thoughts of Bella away.

"Well, the girls and I decided that we really did enjoy seeing you three in your boxers." Rose said as she placed the top hat she was holding on her head.

"But what we enjoyed the most was watching the process of getting you down to your boxers." Alice continued while placing the derby she was holding on her head.

"Pardon me?" I was so confused and had no idea what they were leading in to. The three of them were standing in front of us wearing hats and complimenting us.

"Well, of course you liked us in our boxers. We're three hot guys, duh!" Emmett said sarcastically. I sighed and rolled my eyes at him. He was going to make this worse for us I just knew it.

"Oh Emmie, of course you are. And you're going to showcase for us just how hot you are." Rose said demurely as she winked at us.

"And how do you propose we do that? Um, showcase for you?" Jasper stammered out.

"And you still haven't explained why you're wearing the hats." I pointed out.

"Oh the hats aren't for us Eddie, they're for you." Alice said with a giggle as I cringed at the shortened form of my name. "Girls, shall we?" She asked as the girls nodded and walked towards us.

Bella walked up to me and took off the fedora. She looked at me expectantly and I reluctantly bowed my head so she could put the fedora on me. I wanted to protest but the way she looked up at me through her eyelashes made me acquiesce immediately. _God, what this woman does to me! _

Alice walked up to Jasper and he sighed as he leaned over for her to put the derby on his head. Emmett simply chuckled as he took the top hat off Rose's head and placed it on his own.

"I _OWN _this hat! It looks good on me doesn't it!" Emmett asked as he puffed his chest out.

"Where did you get these hats anyway?" Jasper asked.

"They're Carlisle's; he's got a closet full of 'em." Bella said never breaking eye contact with me.

"Okay, we're wearing the hats….now what?" I asked while still gazing at Bella.

Rose walked over to the light switch on the wall and dimmed the lights. She then made her way to the sofa in front of where we were standing and sat down beckoning Bella to sit with her. I reluctantly looked away from Bella to Alice who was also sitting on the sofa as she toyed with the stereo remote in her hand.

The music started and it finally dawned on me what they wanted us to do. The sounds of "You Can Leave Your Hat On" by Joe Cocker filled the room and I immediately froze. I turned to Jasper and Emmett with my mouth open and my eyes wide. Jasper was shaking his head and mouthing _no _while Emmett simply laughed and began taking his shirt off.

"Less gaping and more stripping boys." Rose demanded.

"You want us to strip for you?" I asked completely in shock. I looked over at Bella and she was blushing but had a sly smile on her face. She winked at me and I couldn't stop the blush from tingeing my own cheeks.

"That's the plan and now you've messed up the intro." Alice said while stopping the song.

"I'm not doing it!" Jasper stated coldly.

"Oh yes you are! We won the poker game fair and square and the prize was that the loser had to do whatever the winner wanted. Well, we won and you lost and _WE_ want _YOU_ to _STRIP._ NOW STRIP!" Alice was standing with her hands on her hips and Jasper simply nodded and sighed.

"Make sure to keep the hats on boys." Rosalie said with a wink.

"Um, and the boxers please." Bella said rather shyly.

I shrugged and looked over at Jasper and Emmett. "This is so embarrassing."

"Get over it Eddie, they've already seen you in your skivvies." Emmett teased.

"You don't have to dance or anything Edward." Bella was trying to comfort me but she still had that sly grin on her face. _Something tells me she's looking forward to this._

"You can at least wiggle a little bit!" Alice yelled.

"Fine! But don't think I'll forget this Alice." I snapped.

"Boys, let's give these girls a show to remember. Don't let me down!" Emmett said proudly. "And Rosie, I'll give you the Full Monty later babe." He said as he winked at her.

The music started again and I was resigned to embarrass myself fully in front of Bella. _Or I can give her a taste of what's to come. _

_Baby take off your coat  
Real slow  
Take off your shoes  
I'll take off your shoes  
Baby take off your dress  
Yes, yes, yes_

I looked to my left to see Emmett swinging his hips in a circular motion as he slowly pulled his shirt over his head. Jasper was on my right not moving much as he kicked off his flip-flops. I stood there as still as a statue contemplating what to do.

"Just pretend it's only you and Bella." Emmett whispered in my ear. _I can do that, I think. _I closed my eyes and began to sway my hips side to side very slightly. I gripped my shirt and pulled it over my head. I opened my eyes and saw Bella gawking at me or rather my chest. I tossed my shirt at her and it landed in her lap causing her to look at my face. I winked at her and she giggled as the blush stayed permanently stained to her cheeks.

_You can leave your hat on  
You can leave your hat on  
You can leave your hat on_

Emmett was now pulling his shorts off as he tried to do some sort of spin. He lost his balance and fell on his face. The girls giggled as he quickly stood up. Jasper was now shirtless but was still not moving much.

_Go over there, turn on the light  
Hey, all the lights  
Come over here, stand on that chair  
Yeah, that's right  
Raise your arms up in the air  
Now shake 'em  
You give me reason to live  
You give me reason to live  
You give me reason to live  
You give me reason to live_

I slowly pulled my shorts down trying to tease Bella the entire way. I watched her eyes follow my hands as they pulled the shorts down. Her eyes followed the shorts until they landed on her lap. She looked down at the clothes in her lap and then back up at me. She was staring at my crotch and I had to look down to make sure everything stayed tucked away. Jasper and Emmett were now in nothing but their boxers. The three of us must have looked absolutely ridiculous standing in the middle of Carlisle and Esme's media room in nothing but our underwear.

_Sweet darling, (you can leave your hat on)  
You can leave your hat on  
Baby, (you can leave your hat on)  
You can leave your hat on  
(You can leave your hat on)_

The girls were clapping and cheering us on as we _wiggled _a little bit longer until the song finally came to an end. Once it was over I could do nothing but laugh. Emmett pat me on the back and Jasper looked like he could cry.

"Thanks for the show boys." Alice and Rose said in unison. The girls were laughing hysterically as they fell over each other on the sofa.

"Yeah, yeah. Care to play another round of poker ladies? You know, give us a chance to even the playing field a little." Emmett asked as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

"Not a chance!" Bella said enthusiastically. We all enjoyed a good laugh before we placed the furniture back. I walked over to where Bella was sitting on the couch to grab my clothes. She was holding onto them tightly with a devilish smile on her face.

"Bella, do you think I could have my clothes back now? I'm feeling a bit exposed."

"Um, I guess. I mean, if you really feel the need to cover up that gor..um, I mean if you really want to." She was blushing and wouldn't make eye contact with me. _Was she about to call my body gorgeous?_

"Tell you what, you can keep the shirt but can I at least have my shorts back? I'm afraid if I sit down you may get more of a peep show than you bargained for." I said with a chuckle. She looked up at me with a smile and nodded. She handed me the shorts and I thanked her as I put them back on.

We decided to watch a few movies before we called it a night. Bella wanted to make some popcorn and made her way into the kitchen still clutching onto my shirt. I followed her wanting desperately to kiss her after staring at her in her bra and panties all night.

"You know, you may need to put the shirt down to make popcorn. It's going to take both hands I believe." I said from the doorway causing her to jump. She dropped the shirt and blushed furiously. I walked over to her and picked it up.

"For some strange reason you are holding onto this shirt like it's your security blanket. Not that I'm complaining, I think it's cute, but you seem reluctant to set it down so you can make your popcorn. I have a solution if I may? Lift your arms." She held her arms up above her head and I put the shirt on her. It was huge on her, falling to her mid-thigh making it hard to tell if she wore anything under it. She looked so sexy wearing my clothes. _Note to self, going forward she needs to be naked, in a bikini or in my clothes. _She leaned her head down and inhaled deeply.

"It smells like you." She said with a smile causing me to smile widely in return.

"Is that why you were holding onto it?" I asked curiously. It made me happy that she wanted to keep a part of me close to her.

"Yes. Is that okay?" She was blushing again and I couldn't stop my hand from reaching out to stroke her cheek.

"It's perfectly okay. You can have that shirt if you'd like." She nodded and I leaned in and softly pressed my lips to hers. We were interrupted by laughter coming from the media room. I grabbed her hand forgetting the popcorn and led her back to the room. We sat on the sofa and she curled up next to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

We watched several movies but I couldn't tell you what they were. I was paying more attention to Bella than what was on the screen. She had her hand on my bare chest and was tracing the lines and contours of my muscles. I had my arm wrapped around her rubbing gentle circles on her back. I could feel her warm breath on my neck and each exhale caused me to become more aroused. _Calm down Edward! _I was trying to build up the courage to ask her if she'd sleep in my room with me but if she knew my current physical state she'd probably run screaming in the opposite direction.

Emmett stood up saying something about "sleep" while using air quotes. He pulled Rosalie up and flung her over his shoulder as he headed toward the stairs. I heard him faintly mention the Full Monty he had promised her. Alice and Jasper said they were headed to bed as well but I was sure there'd be no sleeping in that room either. I heard him mumbling something about her deserving her own punishment, which caused me to shiver.

I turned to Bella who was looking up at me hopefully. _Now's the time to ask Edward. _"Bella, would you like to sleep in my room tonight?" I was holding my breath in anticipation.

"I thought you'd never ask Edward. I was starting to think I'd be stuck on the sofa." She giggled and I released the breath I was holding.

I realized I hadn't qualified my question properly. I wanted desperately to curl up next to her and hold her close to me. "Um, I mean would you like to sleep in my bed with me or I can sleep on the floor if you like….." She cut me off by placing her fingers on my lips.

"Don't be silly Edward, I knew you meant your bed and I'd love to. I trust you'll be a proper gentleman of course." I took the hand that was pressed against my mouth and kissed it softly before responding.

"Scouts honor, no funny business…..unless of course….." I raised an eyebrow and tried to look seductive but it caused her to giggle and slap my arm as she said my name exasperatedly, "_Edward." _

"Can't blame a guy for trying right? I'm joking Bella. Shall we?" I stood up and extended my hand to her to help her up. We walked hand in hand until we reached the stairs to the loft. I tugged her hand gently before ascending the stairs.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" I was hoping she wouldn't change her mind.

"I don't mind." She kissed me on the cheek and ran up the stairs. I stood at the base of the steps for a moment to catch my breath. One thing was certain; I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

**A/N: And guess what? I am betting the rest of you won't get any sleep tonight either- these damn cliffhangers! We should do a poll right now asking how many of you are cursing us at this moment. LOL! **

**Well we are going to give you something to think about…Frisky Edward. You will see him next chapter along with a fun filled shopping trip for everyone lead by Alice. **

**So, before we go back to writing the next chapter we would like to ask you … Will you take your hat off for us and leave a review? We would absolutely love it! Thanks for reading…be back with more on Thursday and if you leave a review we will send you a teaser on Wednesday. **


	15. A Spoon and an Ice Cream Cone

**Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only playing with them for a bit and promise to put them back in the toy box when we are done; we hold no rights to them otherwise, although it would be fun to hold some of them!**

**A/N: Your reviews have been wonderful! Thank you for letting us know that you're enjoying the story. We hope that as the story progresses you won't be disappointed with the results. So, does Edward get a bit frisky with Bella? What is her reaction? They are so much Edward and Bella! Enjoy…**

_Previously: __"I don't mind." She kissed me on the cheek and ran up the stairs. I stood at the base of the steps for a moment to catch my breath. One thing was certain; I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. _

**EPOV**

I made my way up the stairs to the loft to find Bella standing there, waiting for me. "What took you so long slowpoke?"

"Oh uh, nothing. You're sure you want to sleep with me?" _I can't believe I just said that. _"I mean….sleep as in sleep not as in anything other than sleep of course." I was stammering I was so nervous.

"Um, ha…I knew what you meant. I told you….I'm fine _sleeping _with you Edward." She was blushing, giggling and stammering all at the same time. It was cute and I was relieved that she sounded as nervous as I felt. There was a moment of silence as we simply stared at each other, neither one of us wanting to break our gaze. It was over all too quickly as she spoke, breaking the spell momentarily.

"Can you turn around?" She asked me sweetly.

"Why?" I put my hands in my pockets and looked at her quizzically.

"Because I'm going to sleep in your shirt if that's alright but I want to take the tank top off and I think you've seen enough of my bra for one night." She explained with a giggle.

"Bella, you can wear that shirt everyday if you'd like." I turned around reluctantly and heard the ruffling of clothes. _Damn, there went my chance of seeing her in that bra again. _"Hey, you wouldn't mind if I slept in just my boxers would you? It tends to get a bit hot at night."

"Um, that's fine. Okay you can turn around now." She said as she climbed into my bed. _My bed, she's in my bed. _Calm down there killer. I made my way over to the bed and stepped out of my shorts. As I climbed into bed I noticed her tank top on the floor and her shorts next to it. _She's in my bed with only my shirt covering her underwear. _Deep breaths Edward breathe in and out.

I climbed into bed and lay on my back with my arms crossed over my chest. Bella had her back turned to me and she seemed so far away. I wanted to close the distance and wrap my arms around her. I lay there for a few minutes longer until I could bear the distance no more. I had to touch her, to hold her, to be close to her.

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Would you mind if I…." I wasn't able to complete my question. I wasn't sure how she'd take it and I didn't want her to get upset and get out of bed.

"If you what?" She seemed curious enough and I took that as a good sign.

"If I moved closer to you? I'd really like to hold you if that's alright." I stared at the ceiling holding my breath as I waited for her answer.

"You mean you want to spoon Edward?" She giggled and her body shook.

"I was thinking cuddling would be the more appropriate word but yes Bella, would you mind if we spooned?" I chuckled a little but immediately became serious when she responded.

"That would be nice Edward." She said sounding more like an angel than I'd ever heard.

I turned onto my side and scooted closer to her. I placed one arm under her neck and wrapped my other arm around her waist resting it on her flat stomach.

"Thank you. I've been thinking about this all evening." I said as I kissed her shoulder.

"I like being in your arms. You're so warm and make me feel safe." She scooted back more and there was no space between us. I felt her butt push up against my groin and my body instantly reacted. I started drawing circles on her stomach through her shirt and trailed kisses along her shoulder. She began to move her body causing her behind to rub against my groin more. The friction was driving me insane and I had to get her to stop before I embarrassed myself.

"Bella….." My voice cracked and my breathing hitched.

"Edward…" It sounded more like a moan.

I used the hand that was on her stomach to move her hair away from her neck. I placed my hand back on her stomach and began to softly kiss her neck. She tilted her head giving me better access as she continued to move her hips. Her shirt had ridden up and now there was nothing but two pieces of underwear separating us. My hand now rested on her bare stomach and I let it lay flat against her skin.

I leaned up a bit more as I kissed up her neck and along her jaw. I used the hand that was resting on her stomach and turned her head toward me so I could kiss her luscious lips. She met my mouth eagerly and our kiss quickly deepened. She took my bottom lip into her mouth sucking on it causing me to gasp. I pulled away and stared into her beautiful brown orbs completely enamored before leaning in to kiss her again. I licked her upper lip asking for entrance, which she gladly granted. Our tongues slowly and sensuously stroked each other as I pushed softly on her shoulder to lay her on her back. I was still on my side but leaning more into her as we continued to kiss.

I broke away from her lips to catch my breath and began kissing her neck again. I kissed up to her ear and softly whispered her name, _"Bella."_ I then took the lobe of her ear in between my lips and sucked on it as she softly whimpered my name, "_Edward." _Hearing her say my name sent chills down my spine and I was losing all inhibitions. I had returned my hand to her stomach and began tracing a different pattern on her bare flesh. As I moved my lips to her neck once again I happened to look down and noticed the sheet had moved down our bodies when she turned. I could see the baby blue underwear from earlier and I inwardly groaned.

"What's the matter?" She asked apprehensively.

"Absolutely nothing." I whispered as I kissed her swollen lips again.

We kissed for a little longer, my lips moving from her mouth to her jaw to her neck and back up again. I had made my way back to her neck and pushed the collar of her shirt down so I could taste the sweet skin of her collarbone. I lingered there for a while until I realized that I might leave a mark. I pulled my mouth away from her collar and went back to her lips. I couldn't get enough of her mouth she tasted sweeter than honey. My hand made its way to her hips and my finger rubbed the hipbone I had been staring at previously until I moved it further up. My hand was flat and I moved it up further until I felt the bottom of her bra. My fingers were tracing the under wiring and I was lost for a moment until something pulled me from my trance. I hadn't realized my hand had traveled so far north and I immediately froze thinking I had gone too far. I simply stared at her, my eyes wide, waiting for her to slap me or yell at me or hopefully let it go and simply roll over.

"Edward…"

"Yes, Bella…." I could hear my voice crack and became embarrassed.

"It's okay….don't stop, please." She was looking me in the eyes but blushing. I was torn and wasn't certain what to do. Part of me, the teenaged hormone driven boy, wanted to continue and ravish her body but the other part, the gentlemanly conservative man, knew we should stop before this went any further. I looked into her eyes and saw nothing but honesty and adoration.

"Are you sure?" I knew we were both virgins and completely inexperienced but I didn't want to take these experiences away from her in case she wanted to share them with someone else.

"Yes Edward, I'm sure. It's not like we're going to have sex _tonight_ but we can explore a little if you're comfortable." She looked away as she said the last sentence. The way she said tonight made me think that maybe she would consider having sex with me somewhere in the future. I wanted nothing more than to share that special moment with Bella.

"Okay then, if you're comfortable. Just tell me when to stop and we'll…." My mind was racing, how far will she let this go tonight!

"We'll stop. Let's just keep our underwear on tonight though okay." I nodded in agreement. I didn't want to go too far tonight myself. I wanted to make sure she was _mine _before we did anything else.

She grabbed my hand that was teetering on the edge of second base and moved it further up placing it on her breast, which caused her shirt to move up as well. I remained frozen as I looked down and saw the bra and panty set I had seen earlier. I tried to calm my body down from the immediate reaction touching her caused. I looked back up and we gazed at each other for a moment before I leaned up and whispered in her ear. _"You are so beautiful Bella." _

I kissed her again and this kiss was the most passionate we had yet. I started to move my hand, massaging her breast softly and carefully. I felt her nipple harden under the soft material. I had to break for a breath so I moved my mouth to her neck once again. _This is becoming my favorite place to kiss her. _My fingers ducked below the fabric a little and I could feel the softness of her swells and her breath hitched. I pushed the fabric down to give me better access and as my fingers softly grazed her nipple she moaned. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. I wanted her to take off my shirt but I wasn't certain if I was pushing the boundaries. I pushed it further up and as if she read my mind, she reached up and took it off causing my own breath to hitch.

I kissed down her neck to her shoulders and then to her chest. Her heavy breathing caused her chest to move up and down enticingly. I kissed the tops of her breasts as my hand moved down to her hip, gripping and not wanting to let go. Her hands were in my hair and she was moving her hips as I traced my tongue from one side of her chest to the other. She had crossed her legs and they were pinned together so tightly I could see her knees turn white.

I kissed her nipples over the fabric and she moaned again. I moved my hand from her hip to the strap of her bra and pulled it down to grant me better access. I had no idea what I was doing but gained confidence with each moan and whimper she made. I continued to kiss and caress her breasts before I began to kiss lower. I kissed her stomach and trailed my tongue over her naval. I wanted desperately to get to her hipbone. I made my way further until I reached my destination. I licked around the bone and then bit down softly causing her to gasp and thrust her hips up. I looked up at her and she was looking at me with a devilish smile. My finger traced the top of her underwear and I should have known better but I couldn't stop myself. The moment my finger went a centimeter under the fabric she gasped and tugged lightly on my hair.

"Edward…" She was out of breath and watching her chest move up and down wasn't helping my situation. Suddenly I felt horrible, as if I had betrayed the agreement we made before we began to _explore._

"Bella…I'm so sorry. I wasn't going to…I mean…God, you're just so damn tempting." I was trying my best at stammering out an apology. I couldn't look at her, I was certain she'd want me to sleep on the floor now. I was pulled out of my self-deprecating thoughts by her giggle.

"Edward, it's okay. I know exactly what you mean. I just think we should stop before we get to a point where we….." She looked away shyly.

"To where we can't." I finished her statement for her knowing exactly what she meant and I agreed.

"Yes."

"So you're not mad at me?" It was my turn to look away shyly.

"Not at all. It was very…nice." She was blushing and all I could think was _nice? It was only nice?_ "I mean, it was…well I enjoyed myself and just so you know, you're quite tempting yourself." My ego was no longer bruised and I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face.

"I enjoyed myself immensely too. Let's get some sleep Bella. Would you like my shirt back?" I had my fingers crossed that she'd say no.

"Yes please." _DAMN! _I handed her my shirt and watched her cover up her very tempting, very tasty body. I scowled a bit and she noticed. She placed her palm on my cheek before she spoke.

"It wouldn't look so good if Emmett walked up here and saw us sleeping in our underwear." She then kissed me on the lips and lay down.

"You're right. I don't want a black eye as my wake up call." I pulled the sheet over us and curled up behind her placing my hand across her waist as I did earlier in the night. I heard her sigh contentedly and smiled.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to sound clichéd but I really need to ask you something, especially after tonight, but I'm afraid you'll think I'm moving too fas.." She cut me off before I could finish.

"What?" She sounded anxious which didn't help my resolve.

"Can we move past the dating part now? I mean, God I sound like I stepped out of Leave it to Beaver, but will you….will you be my girlfriend? Because I don't want to see anyone else and I _DON'T _want to share you with anyone. I guess I just want something that tells me we're exclusive." I was mortified that I just asked that question. Do kids in this decade even do that anymore! _I am SO clueless. _

"Edward, I'd love to be your girlfriend….but just don't ask me to wear your class ring around my neck or anything." She giggled and I tickled her in retaliation for mocking me. "Uncle, Uncle!"

I stopped tickling her and turned her head so I could kiss her. "Thank you, you won't regret it."

"I know Edward. Good night." She rolled back over and sighed and I could hear the smile in that sigh.

I held her close to me thinking I was the luckiest man alive. I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard her mumble something. I thought by her breathing that she was asleep but I wasn't certain.

"Yes Bella?" Nothing….she must be asleep. _Ah, here comes the sleep talking again. I almost forgot about that. _

"Edward?" I stayed quiet waiting to hear what she would say next. I was elated that she was dreaming of me and to hear my name come from her lips even in her sleep made me smile. "Love y..." I froze; damn, she didn't finish what she was about to say. Was she saying she loves me? Do I love her? Was that what I was feeling? Yes, yes it was and I was _almost _certain of it. I felt like I had to say something in return but if it _was_ love I felt for her I certainly didn't want my first time saying it to be to a sleeping form so I opted for a safer route.

"Me too love. Sweet dreams My Bella." She sighed again and I kissed her forehead before I finally fell asleep.

I awoke early noticing the sun shining through the skylight. I realized I was still holding Bella in my arms and sighed in relief knowing it wasn't a dream. I watched her sleep and she was even more beautiful in the morning light. She stirred a little and turned in my arms to meet my gaze with a smile.

"Good morning beautiful." I followed my statement with a kiss to her forehead.

"Morning." She rubbed her eyes and smiled at me.

"You know, you look really good in my clothes. How about you spend the rest of the summer wearing only my shirts?" I teased as I rubbed her bare stomach. The sheet had been pushed down through the night and her shirt thankfully had ridden up again. She giggled and blushed again.

"Ah, so you'd like your _girlfriend_ to walk around Key West wearing nothing but your shirts? I bet I would get a lot of stares and possibly a few admirers that way." She said seductively as she bit her lip. _My girlfriend, she's MY girlfriend. _And then the jealous boyfriend stepped in.

"NO, I don't think I'd like anyone else looking at my _girlfriend_ that way. In fact, unless you want to see the jealous _boyfriend_ I think you should wear my shirts only around me and that goes for that doily too. Speaking of which…" I kissed her lips and trailed my hand up her side as she giggled.

"Edward…" She said breathlessly as I tried to deepen the kiss. She had other plans as she planted her hands on my ribs and began tickling. I had never noticed I was ticklish before until now. I let out a noise before retaliating and tickling her back. Her hands immediately dropped and she tried to wiggle away. I quickly sat up and straddled her body, pinning her down so she couldn't escape. She was panting my name in between fits of laughter, trying desperately to get away. I was laughing along with her and enjoying watching her squirm until someone clearing their throat pulled us out of our fun.

I stopped tickling her and looked toward the stairs to see an angry Emmett. He was standing there with his arms crossed. I looked down at Bella and saw that my shirt had risen up and her bra was showing. We were having an innocent moment but I knew it must not have looked that way to him. Here I was, sitting on top of his sister in only my boxers, straddling her, and her clothes (MY CLOTHES) had ridden up exposing her undergarments.

I immediately rolled off her and stood up on her side of the bed, opposite and as far away from Emmett as possible. Once I was standing I pulled her shirt down and pulled the sheet up in one swift movement. After I was certain that she was covered I reached for my own shirt to put on. Bella on the other hand wasn't going to put up with Emmett's big brotherly and over-protective ways. She sat straight up, letting the sheet fall again, and spoke to him as if it was normal for him to walk into another guy's room to see his baby sister in a compromising position.

"Emmett, it's not what it looks like." I was trying to protect her and take the blame but she wasn't having it. I was buttoning up my jeans as I saw Bella jut her chin out and look at me with an authoritative and protective look.

"Don't Edward, it doesn't matter what he thinks it looked like." She said adamantly.

"Bella….please, be reasona…." I wasn't able to finish my reasoning as Emmett's retort cut me off.

**BPOV**

"Oh Hell Yeah it matters what I think!" Emmett was almost shouting. "What in the hell do you both think this is? Romper Room!? I shouldn't have to come up here and see some half naked guy sitting on top of my sister putting his hands all over her half naked body!"

"Then why the hell did you even come up here Emmett? You're just trying to make this look like something it wasn't and I would be willing to bet that if I walked into your room at any point this morning or even last night for that matter, you would have been stark naked and in a way more compromising position! Don't you dare play Pit Bull with me Mr. I am not the way you are but if you want to accuse me of being in situations that obviously make you uncomfortable to think of me in, well I can give you one hell of a run for your money!"

With that being said, I stood up on the bed and pulled Edward's shirt off over my head. Both Emmett and Edward's eyes stared with disbelief and I thought I saw a grin appear on Edward's lips, but it quickly disappeared. I was standing on the bed in just my bra and underwear as I placed one hand on my hip and the other on Edward's shoulder carefully stepping down off of the bed. I put both hands on Edward's face and placed a very strong kiss on his lips. I felt his lips respond but his hands stayed at his sides clenched tightly as fighting off the urge to pull me into him. I then let my hands trail down the front of his chest before I walked away from him and toward Emmett, swinging Edward's shirt over my shoulder. If I had a ping-pong ball I could have easily popped it into Emmett's wide-open mouth. _That would have stopped his ranting for a bit_.

"Bella, you better…" Emmett began but I quickly cut him off.

"No Emmett, you better find a way to make peace with yourself about me. Do you see this?" I said as I let my hand wave in front of my body, "Baby sis is not a baby anymore and I can take care of myself. You wanted me to relax and have fun; well that's what I am trying to do. I'm not living by your double standard. This protective shit is going too far, Get over it! If I need your help I know where to find you." And I turned to storm out the door leaving Emmett staring at me with a defeated look and Edward biting his lip not to laugh.

A huge grin was plastered on my face as I went down the stairs from the loft to the second floor forgetting that I was parading through the house in my underclothes. I felt much more confident after giving a paralyzing blow to the grizzly bear known as my brother. Jasper and Alice were rounding the corner as I approached my bedroom door.

"Wow Bella!" remarked Jasper winning him a slap on the arm from Alice.

"Bella, what are you doing in your underwear in the hall or more importantly what have you been doing in your underwear?" She was amazed to see me in the hall barely clothed and a curious grin played across her lips. I answered her quickly to avoid any question I saw in her eyes.

"I…um…" stammering and feeling the blush take over my cheeks, I realized I was back to myself, good ole Bella. "Just needed to get a shower and get changed."

"Well hurry up and put on something more decent. We are all going shopping!" She said with excitement. "Be down in the kitchen in 20 minutes. Oh and we _will_ talk later missy." Her eyebrows were raised with curiosity not willing to forget my appearance. She would want to know the reason for it and I knew she'd pry until I was forced to give it to her.

I hurried into the bathroom to shower and was standing in front of the mirror brushing my hair when I heard the soft knock on the door. I wrapped a towel around me to see who it was.

"Hi beautiful," Edward's smile greeted me. "You left your tank top and shorts in my room and I wasn't sure if you would need them. By the way, that was the sexiest show of force I have ever seen!" He was looking at me in a very pleasing way, wearing his trademark crooked smile.

Holding the towel around me with one hand, I leaned out the door to see if anyone else was around. Seeing the coast was clear, I grabbed the front of Edward's shirt with the other hand and pulled him in the room shutting the door behind him. I then pushed him against the wall next to the door and pressed myself into him letting my hands tangle in his hair. I looked into his eyes longingly before I pressed my mouth firmly against his with a passion that surprised even me. Edward quickly responded wrapping one arm around my waist holding me against him and placing his other warm hand on my bare back above the towel. I pulled my lips back away from his to catch my breath as I smiled up at him removing my hands from his hair. His eyes were glazed over and he looked so adorable. _My boyfriend. I never imagined I would ever be so lucky._

I reached over for the doorknob and opened the door. "Thank you for my clothes. Now get out, I need to get dressed." I whispered to him as my lips curled into a smile. He smiled back at me giving me a quick kiss on the cheek and slipped out the door.

When I walked into the kitchen, I saw Edward fixing a cup of coffee and everyone else at the patio table discussing the plans for the day. He turned around to hand me a cup with coffee all fixed the way I liked it.

"How did you know what I liked?" I asked.

"Rose told me." He answered giving me his crooked smile.

"Thank you," I smiled back and reached for his hand. We then walked out together and sat down with the rest of the gang.

Everyone turned to smile and tell us good morning including Emmett who was sporting a pouty face. I could tell by the way Rose had her arms crossed and the look she gave him that she had heard of his intrusion this morning and probably gave him a bit of a lecture on it. _They definitely made a perfect couple. _

Alice explained our plans for the day. Actually they were her plans but no one was arguing with her. We cleaned up from our breakfast of coffee, juice and muffins then headed out the door. We would be walking the few blocks to downtown so we could check out the boutiques and shops. I was glad I decided to wear comfortable jean shorts and a light blue t-shirt with tennis shoes. My hair was pulled back in a ponytail under a ball cap to keep the sun out of my face. Rose and Alice were dressed very similar to me. I wasn't sure how excited the boys were to be going shopping but they seemed to not mind. I would guess they were just happy to spend the day with us.

Alice and Jasper led the way holding hands and she had a very obvious bounce in her step. I looked at Emmett to see if he was going to have me walk ahead of him. He gave me a slight bow, indicating a form of apology and then proceeded to followed after Jasper and Alice with his arm draped across Rose's shoulder. Edward entwined his hand with mine and we followed behind everyone as we all commented on the various shops we passed.

We walked quite a few blocks into the heart of town and I found myself looking over at Edward's face most of the way. At one point he looked over at me and even though I was feeling very comfortable with him, I still felt myself blush while staring into his gorgeous green eyes. I squeezed his hand tightly in mine and felt him do the same.

Alice directed us first to the Heritage House Museum. She was very interested in learning some of the local pirate folklore and so we took the tour. As we looked around and followed the tour guide we spread out in couples. Sometimes the tour guide would stop to explain things and Edward would pull me in front of him and wrap his arms around my waist listening as I leaned back into his chest. He would rest his head against my shoulder and kiss my neck. I kept feeling like I could never get close enough to him.

"Edward?" I whispered.

"Yes, Bella" he whispered back and I felt his warm breath on my shoulder.

"I think I'm missing something. Will you go back with me to look for it?" I asked.

"Lead the way." He replied as he dropped his arms and held onto my hand.

I pulled him back into the last room we were in, the parlor. As we rounded the corner out of site of the group, I turned to face Edward and wrapped my arms around his neck. He looked a bit puzzled but pleased at the same time.

"Weren't we supposed to be looking for something?" He questioned me raising his eyebrow.

"I believe I found what I've been looking for." I answered him with a devilish grin.

"Really?" Edward smirked. "Well, now that you've found it, what do you plan to do with it?"

"Hmmm…how about this?" I said placing my hands on his face and softly kissing his sensuous lips then letting my tongue glide across them.

Edward reacted immediately, pulling me into him and kissing me with much more passion than I had felt from him before.

"Bella," he murmured as he rested his forehead against mine, both of us breathing heavily.

"Edward, I just really wanted to kiss my boyfriend. I hope you didn't mind?" I asked nervously.

"You can do that anytime you would like." He said kissing me one more time. "We better catch up with the group or we will miss the whole tour and Alice will be mad at us."

Once again, we held hands as we returned to the rest of the tour group. They didn't seem to notice our absence. They were just heading out to the Gardens and I had to laugh as I saw Emmett's hand move from Rose's waist down to her butt as they passed through the doorway. She looked at him with an evil smile slapping his arm and moving his hand back up to her waist. Once they stepped outside Rose placed her hand on Emmett's butt and gave it a little squeeze.

"Hey!" He exclaimed as Rose ran off through the Gardens giggling with Emmett chasing after her.

We were free to wander the Gardens for a few minutes before we toured the Robert Frost Cottage. Alice and Jasper found a small bench and sat together talking and kissing amongst the beautiful flowers. As we walked past them Edward watched Alice from the corner of his eye.

"Jasper is a really nice guy." I said noticing his concerned look.

"Maybe I am worried more for him than I am for my sister." Edward replied. This made me laugh and I saw Edward smiling at me.

We continued the tour and Alice quickly herded us over to the shops. She wanted to check out the boutiques for some new clothes. This made Edward roll his eyes, as he knew she would be dragging twice as much luggage home with her at the end of the summer. We stopped in almost every shop we passed and every time Alice left a store she had a bag in her hand or rather Jasper did.

We went from one shop to the next just walking in each as we passed. Jewelry stores, boutiques, gift shops, bookstores, and even a place called Fairvilla Megastore. It took me 5 seconds to realize what kind of store it was before I was back out on the sidewalk blushing very heavily. Edward and Jasper were both standing right behind me. I looked at the sign in the store window wondering why I didn't read it before we walked inside. (E_xcite your senses in an engaging atmosphere of fun & fantasy filled with romantic lingerie, sensual accessories, unique gifts, toys for lovers, erotic literature, tantalizing DVD's & more!)_I pointed the sign out to Edward and Jasper and we all started laughing uncontrollably. We finally realized that we were missing three people.

"Hey, did you see Alice?" asked Jasper looking around quickly.

"Man, I don't think she came out of the shop." Edward answered with a look that was mixed with horror and the knowledge of how his sister never leaves a store she enters without buying something.

"Oh, shit! You have to go back in there and get her out Edward." Jasper looked nervous.

"It's your girlfriend Jazz, you go get her. Besides whatever she ends up buying won't be anything for me!" Edward started laughing again as he and Jasper tried pushing each other toward the door.

"Guys, will you two quit it! _I'll_ go get her. Emmett and Rose are in there too you know." I pointed out as I marched toward the door. _I can't believe I am going back in there_.

As I walked back in the door I wondered if I could find Alice with my eyes closed. I turned to see if Edward and Jasper were with me and saw those two chickens still standing outside on the sidewalk laughing and shoving each other around. _Nice!_ Alice was pretty easy to find. She was already at the register paying for something that the cashier handed to her in a small bag. _I didn't want to know even though I was a bit curious. _She smiled as she skipped past me.

"Oh Bella, have you seen Jasper?" She asked.

"He's out front with Edward waiting for you." I answered and watched her head toward the door.

I quickly scanned the shop looking for Rose and Emmett. This place had some strange things I had no idea what they could even be for. As I passed through the aisle looking for my brother I was starting to feel a bit creeped out. I couldn't see over the shelves since they were a bit tall but I could hear Rose giggling and the sound of Emmett's voice. I knew I was getting closer to finding them.

Toward the back of the store I found them looking through racks of lingerie. Emmett was holding up a hangar with a pair of men's leopard print, very small, silky bikini underwear and dangling them in front of Rose's face as his other hand was wrapped around her moving slowly up the inside of her thigh.

"So if I put these on I can be your Tarzan and swing from the ceiling fan over the bed…" he froze when he saw me standing with my arms crossed staring at him. "…and clean that cobweb up there that Esme couldn't reach. Oh, hi bells." He looked like an oversized mouse caught holding the cheese with his tail in the mousetrap.

"Well, well, well. Let me guess. It's not what it looks like right?" I said pursing my lips at him.

"Hey I um…" he put both hands up over his head in surrender not realizing he was still holding the hangar until the silky underwear slipped off it and landed on his head. Rose and I burst out laughing causing Emmett to grab at the leopard print now dangling over his left eye, before it slid down his face. "Very funny! Everybody laughs at Emmett!" He huffed tossing the hanger and underwear on top of the rack.

"Okay Bella, you win! I understand your point. Let's call it a truce." He said looking humiliated at first and then a twinkle appeared in his eye as he looked back at Rose. He quickly grabbed the underwear and a matching leopard bra and panty set that were right next to it. "But I am so buying these, so don't you dare say a word!" He stomped off to the register making Rose and I burst out into laughter one more time as we followed him up front. Emmett rushed out the door with his new purchase so he could brag to the guys and Rose stopped just before we were out the door. She was looking through her bags like she was missing something.

"Oh Bella, I think I set my other bag down back there by the racks we were looking at." She said frustrated she looked through the things she was carrying.

"I'll go check for you Rose." I offered and I turned and made my way through the aisles to the back of the store.

I was bending over looking under the racks when I felt something bump into me. I thought I may have backed up into someone and so I stood up to apologize when I noticed an old man standing behind me. He was staring at me in a very creepy way and I didn't feel comfortable at all.

"Sorry." I said as I backed away from him.

"I didn't mind at all." He said staring at me and let his eyes wander over my body. _Eww, gross!_

"Bella," I heard the voice of my Edward as he rounded the corner of the aisle. "Rose found the bag she was looking for." He stopped as he noticed the look on my face and immediately glared at the old man. Reaching his arms out to me I ran to him and felt him pull me close into his chest.

"Let's get going everyone is hungry." He said as he held me tightly all the way out of the store. Once we were back outside he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Sure, sure that guy just creeped me out a bit." I answered still trembling and trying to forget what just happened. "Where are we eating, I'm really hungry."

Edward looked at me carefully and then pulled me into a hug, kissing the top of my head. "I should have been with you," he whispered in my ear.

"I'm okay now that I'm with you." I smiled as I whispered back to him making him smile too.

"If you all feel as hungry as a pig as I do, I have just the place picked out!" Alice chirped happily.

"I'm hungry enough to EAT a whole pig!" bellowed Emmett "Lead the way little fireball."

Alice gladly hopped off down the street as we all walked fast to keep up. We didn't have far to go and she stopped in front of a place called Hog's Breath Saloon.

"How did we miss this place?" asked Jasper as he noticed the lively atmosphere of the place.

"Something smells great," commented Rose.

"Yeah, that would be you baby." Growled Emmett grabbing Rose by the arm and pulling her into him. "Mind if I take a bite?" He placed his mouth on her neck.

"Don't you dare unless you want to be wearing a set of false teeth." Rose giggled playfully pushing him away.

"Oh come on Rosie," Emmett whined causing her to stop and tilt her head to the side for him. "That's my girl." He smiled placing kisses up and down her neck.

"Dude, if we had already eaten we'd be throwing up right now!" Jasper said making a face at Emmett and his sister while the rest of us laughed at the disgusted look on his face.

"Jazzy, let's go eat." Alice said as she playfully hopped onto Jaspers back. He reached around and held her legs as they bounced into the saloon.

"Why does he think they are any better than Emmett and Rose?" asked Edward smiling at me. We both were shaking our heads.

Edward held out his arm to me and I wrapped my arm around his as we joined the rest of the gang. We spent the next hour eating some of the best burgers and listening to music. When we were all finished Alice stood up and grabbed Jaspers hand while he was picking up the many bags she had acquired with his other hand.

"One more stop before we head home," she said.

"Alice!" We all whined together.

"Oh please! You know you love it, now let's go have our treat." She ordered dragging Jasper happily behind her out the door.

As we worked our way back to the house we made a final stop at an ice cream shop. We were all still full from lunch and didn't want to disappoint Alice so we decided to get one cone per couple and share. The girls got to choose a flavor they wanted and I chose vanilla with sprinkles hoping Edward would like it too. We walked over to a bench and sat down as everyone else chose to sit at a table.

"I hope you like vanilla," I said next to him. He put his arm around me and pulled me right up against him.

"I do," Edward answered my question smiling sweetly. "How did you know?"

"I was just hoping." I told him and I took a lick of the cone while he watched my mouth intently.

"You have some on your mouth," he said softly. "May I?" I nodded at him, feeling my insides do flips as he slowly lowered his face to mine and let his tongue glide over my lips. "Mmm." And he rested his forehead against mine staring into my eyes.

"I'm going to melt." I murmured. "I mean the cone is going to melt."

"Allow me then," Edward said placing his hand around mine and pulling the cone up to his lips. He licked all the way around it as I watched his tongue move feeling my heart rate increase.

"Did I get anything on my face?" He asked innocently.

"Let me check." I moved my face very close and lightly brushed my lips against his and then licked all the way across his bottom lip.

This continued on until all the ice cream was gone and we were both breathing very heavily. We followed everyone back to the house and decided to have a movie night and pizza later for dinner. I was willing to do anything that would keep me close to Edward. My mind kept thinking of the ice cream cone we shared. It was the best ice cream I had ever had!

**A/N: A/N: Oh yes, wouldn't we all love to share an ice cream cone with Edward!**

**We do have a cat that needs to be let out of the bag next chapter. If you paid attention you noticed that Alice made a small purchase at **Fairvilla Megastore. **What could she possibly have in that bag? Bella was a witness to the purchase and she will make sure to find out and you will find out too … on Sunday!**

**Time to R…E…V…I…E…W!! Thank You, Thank You!**


	16. Author's Note

**A/N:** We are currently hiding behind Emmett who graciously offered to take the hit from all the tomatoes you are about to throw at us! Although we hope that you won't!

OMECoven is deeply in research for the upcoming chapters and it's taking way longer than we had expected. We're on the hunt for as much originality as possible with our story and we are trying not to repeat other popular ones. We will not be posting the next chapter until Sunday the 20th. All continuing chapters will then be also posted on Sundays to give us more opportunity to write without rush so we can keep our quality up.

"What the hell! Who threw the shoe! You girls only said something about food being thrown." growled Emmett.

"Sorry babe, we'll make it up to you." Grinned OMECoven as we safely hid behind those gorgeous muscles.

So any way, we will be sure to make this next chapter very enjoyable for you all. Just to give you a teaser: _The girls kick Emmett out of his room so they can have a slumber party/tell all night with details!_

"Why do I have to give up my room?" Emmett whined.

"Because Rose is going to ask you very nicely Emm, and don't let on that you know anything about it either!" threatened OMECoven.

"What's in it for me? Whoa! Who threw the thong?!" asked Emmett grinning from ear to ear.

"Emm, we will make sure Rose rewards you nicely throughout the story." Promised OMECoven.

"Deal!" Emmett happily agreed. "Hey which one of you just grabbed my ass?"

Thank you all so very much for keeping up with our story and being patient! You are the best and we want to give nothing but the best back to you! Your reviews have been awesome!

Ta,

OMECoven

Doran

&

BlueJ


	17. Telling Secrets

Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We are only playing with them for a bit and promise to put them back in the toy box when we are done; we hold no rights to them otherwise, although it would be fun to hold some of them!

**A/N: Thank you all for your patience! We hope you will be very happy with this chapter. Be sure to review and let us know! **

**Alice is about to let you know what's in that small bag from the adult store. Did any of you make the correct guess? Her little purchase will come into play in the upcoming chapters. **

_Previously:_ _We followed everyone back to the house and decided to have a movie night and pizza later for dinner. I was willing to do anything that would keep me close to Edward. My mind kept thinking of the ice cream cone we shared. It was the best ice cream I had ever had! _

**BPOV**

Edward and I were holding hands as we walked back to the house. Every few steps I would feel him lightly squeeze my hand in his and when I would look over at him he would smile at me so sweetly. I think he was doing this just to make me blush.

"That is one of my favorite things about you," he said.

"You have a favorite thing about me?" I asked.

"Sure, I like that I can make you blush." Edward smiled at me crookedly.

"What is another favorite thing?" I asked again very curiously.

"Well, I …" He stopped short due to an interruption.

"HEY! Why are you guys walking so far back there?" Emmett shouted noticing we were almost a block behind them. "Hurry the hell up! Last one to the house has to set up the media room and make all the popcorn for the movie!"

"Hop on Bella!" Edward swung me around by my arm and pulled me onto his back.

The next thing I knew my arms were wrapped around his neck and the wind was blowing my hair back. _How could he run so fast and with me on his back too!_ I could see everyone ahead of us as Rose and Alice were throwing their bags at Emmett and Jasper to carry. They saw us coming up on them and they all took off running. We caught up to them very quickly and I found myself closing my eyes and laying my head against Edward's shoulder to keep from getting dizzy. _Thank goodness there were no trees around or I would be worrying about running into them!_ It was an all out race back to the house.

One block from the house, Jasper and Alice tried to bump us out of the way. I felt Edward start to slow up. I opened my eyes just as Alice tripped Jasper and he stumbled trying to catch himself so he wouldn't fall. She was the first one onto the porch jumping up and down and clapping her hands then pulling Jasper up the steps next to her. Edward slowed to a walk and Rose and Emmett came up from behind and jumped onto the stairs just before we did.

"Oh Yeah! You two get to do the set up! You thought you were going to breeze right past all of us but it looks like you lost some steam huh?" Emmett was out of breath and laughing. "Nice try hitching a ride so you wouldn't fall Bella."

"Yeah, you guys were just faster than we were." Edward said as he wrapped his arms around my legs then asked me, "Are you doing okay Bella?"

"Sure, I'm fine." I said softly in his ear. Then I whispered, "I could tell you slowed down on purpose, you could have beaten them easily. Why did you do that?" He turned his head slightly and I saw him smile.

"I enjoyed the run and was just making it last a bit longer I guess." He replied.

"Do you want me to get down? I hope I wasn't choking you." I said.

"You are okay. I don't mind at all" He said as we followed everyone into the house.

They all went upstairs to put away their bags and get changed. Edward carried me on his back into the kitchen so we could get things ready. He backed up to the bar and let my legs go so I was sitting on the counter. Turning around to face me, he pulled me into him and I couldn't help but wrap my legs around his waist. He looked at me a bit surprised but then smiled as he put his arms around my back.

"I didn't get to finish answering your question from earlier." He said as he moved his face dangerously close to mine.

"No, you didn't." I replied but didn't wait for him to continue. I was staring into his deep green eyes as I leaned the very short distance into him and let my lips brush his lightly. I pulled my head back just a bit and looking at his face. His eyes were closed and he continued answering me without opening them.

"The way your lips feel on mine; it's like nothing I have every felt before." He paused as I again placed my lips on his kissing him lightly then pulling back once more. "Bella…," he moaned quietly, "It's like you already know that this is another of my favorite things."

His words made my heart skip a beat. My fingers wound themselves into his hair as I kissed him completely this time. His lips parted for me right away as our tongues caressed. I knew exactly what he meant. Kissing Edward was the most wonderful feeling I have every felt. I just couldn't get close enough to him. I felt his arms wrap around my hips and he pulled me off the counter and held onto me.

"Edward," It was all I could say as his mouth pulled away from mine and trailed kissed across my cheek and down my neck. I let my head fall back as he kissed along the opening of my shirt and around to the other side. Taking one hand out of his hair, I pulled the collar of my shirt over to expose my collar bone for him and heard him laugh quietly while his breath tickled my neck. He placed his lips there and sucked lightly letting his tongue warm my skin as he moved his lips a bit each time. I felt his teeth nip at me teasingly and a tingle ran all through my body. I reached both hands to his face and pulled his lips up to mine kissing him deeply. I couldn't keep from wiggling around in his arms just to press myself tighter into him. I also felt his attraction to me becoming more and more defined.

"Wow," he breathed heavily as he pulled away. "Bella, if we don't stop now….. umm, it's getting really hard….umm."

"I'm so sorry Edward," I smiled as I slowly and deliberately let my legs loose and slide down the front of him. "I feel what you're trying to…" and then I couldn't help but giggle. "I mean I understand what you are trying to say."

"You are very dangerous." He grinned still holding my hips against him. He kissed the top of my head. "Wow."

"We better get this popcorn cooking before they come in here and bust us!" I said as we heard the laughing and loud voices coming down the stairs.

"I will be right back Bella; I need to go run around the pool once or twice real quick to cool down." He winked at me and ran quickly out the door.

I found the bowls as the popcorn was popping and put iced tea in a pitcher with some ice. I took one of the ice cubes and was rubbing it along my neck to cool down. I then let it drop down the front of my shirt. Edward caught me doing that as he returned from his run around the pool and shook his head at me and ran right back out the door. He returned to help me after a few minutes and we took everything into the media room.

Emmett and Rose were hogging up the couch while Jasper and Alice were cuddled on the love seat. That left us on the floor with all the pillows. Edward lay down on his side and pat a pillow next to him for me. Back in the spoon position he draped his arm over me and held my hand.

"I promise to behave," he whispered in my ear as I nuzzled up closer to him.

"Me too." I smiled as he kissed my cheek.

We had finished watching one movie when the pizza arrived. Jasper went to the door to pay and brought two extra large pizzas back with him.

"Okay girls, time to go." Announced Alice hopping up from the love seat. I looked surprised but Rose seemed to know what was going on.

"Emmett, we're going to have a sleepover in your room tonight okay?" Rose asked batting her eyelashes very sweetly.

"All of you…with me…in my room?" Emmett asked with a shocked look on his face.

"No sweetie, just the girls. You and the boys can find another room to sleep in." She told him.

"Sure Rosie…wait, what did I just agree to?" Emmett seemed confused. Jasper and Edward burst out laughing.

"Emmett man, you are whipped!" Jasper exclaimed. "You're bunking with us tonight and we're taking Edward's room. There is more floor space."

"We're taking my room?" asked Edward. "Why?"

"Well if the girls can have a girl's night, we can have a guy's night." Jasper explained as the other two stared at him for a moment then nodded in agreement.

"Good it's settled. Ladies grab and pizza and let's get going." Alice said as she ran for the stairs. _Obviously speed ran in their family! _

I just shrugged my shoulders turning around to look at Edward. He stood up helping me off the floor as I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to me.

"I think I am going to miss you tonight." He said looking into my eyes.

"I _know_ I am going to miss you." I told him and then kissed him very roughly nipping his bottom lip with my teeth. "I better go before Alice comes back to get me."

I pulled away and before I left the room I turned back to look at Edward. He was still standing where I left him and he had the biggest grin on his face.

"Dude, your lip is bleeding. What did you do?" I heard Jasper ask him as I turned and headed up to Emmett's room.

"Bella, in here!" Rose called out to me.

I walked into Emmett's room to find Rose and Alice already in their pj's with my pajamas and pillow on a chair waiting for me. I hurried up to change and joined them on the floor for pizza.

"So girls, who wants to talk about their boy/girl slumber party last night?" asked Rose.

"I'll talk," offered Alice, "Jasper was amazing!"

"Whoa, wait…ground rules here," interrupted Rose. "I don't need to know exactly what my brother is amazing at or what part of him is amazing. Sister alert! Okay Alice?" Alice and I giggled loudly.

"I just meant he was very considerate and he let me pick the side of the bed that I wanted. Not that he stayed on his own side of the bed all night…he kind of slept in the middle on his back looking very… and he let me sleep with my head on his chest so I was able to put my hands... and his hands felt really nice on…and he even rubbed my back and …" after pausing numerous times to reconsider her description of events; she trailed off with a wicked little grin.

"Ewww Alice, borderline TMI!!" Rose and I both shrieked.

"I didn't even get into any details you silly girls!" Alice frowned as she took a savage bite of her pizza.

"Well, Emmett was a blanket hog." Huffed Rose.

"Oh, maybe I should have given you a heads up on that. Sorry Rose." I winced.

"Not a problem Bells," Rose lifted her chin as a sign of accomplishment, "I just gave him something else to hang onto instead of the blankets."

"What!" My eyes bugged out and Alice eagerly stared as she took another bite of pizza.

"What?" asked Rose, "I happened to notice a little fat teddy bear on the floor almost under the bed."

"No way! You mean he brought Mr. Grrr with him!" I almost choked on my pizza when I began laughing.

"Mr. What?" Alice was choking and laughing also.

"Mr. Grrr, is Emmett's favorite stuffed animal. He is a grizzly bear." I filled them in. "He's had him as long as I can remember and when he was really little he couldn't say Mr. Grizzly. All that would come out is Mr. Grrr, so that is his name."

"Awww," Both girls signed.

"Wow, I didn't realize he still took it everywhere with him." I was a bit surprised.

"Well, he acted like he didn't know where it came from but he wanted to be nice to the bear so he put it on the pillow next to him. It was so cute. After we…talked…for a bit, he put one arm around the bear and one arm around me so we could all snuggle as we slept." Rose smiled.

"Bella, it's your turn." Alice eyed me with interest. "Have you gotten Edward to loosen up yet or is he still playing his gentleman card?"

"Edward is the sweetest guy I have ever met. He is always so polite and makes me feel very comfortable around him." I admitted. "I felt so safe in his arms."

"So, you shared the bed. He didn't offer to sleep on the floor?" asked Alice laughing.

"I told him it was okay to sleep together in the same bed." I laughed with her and then blushed as I continued, "And he asked me if he could lay closer and put his arm around me."

"He asked you!" Rose had her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yes he did." I smiled shyly. "I think we were both rather nervous. The only boy I had ever spent the night in the same bed with was my brother when we were little."

"He probably slept with his clothes on. You probably did too! You didn't just go right to sleep did you?" Alice was acting like an interrogator.

"Actually he didn't sleep in his clothes and neither did I," I smiled at her, "I slept in his t-shirt and we stayed awake for while also. He never did anything inappropriate."

"What is wrong with that boy?" Alice looked appalled.

"I said that he was very sweet." I told her.

"That's what I mean! You have a girl in your bed with only a shirt and underclothes and you worry about being proper! Bella, you might have to take the lead with him if you every want anything more than a kiss." She was shaking her head while Rose fell over laughing.

I felt myself turning red as I grabbed the drinks and passed them around trying to get the focus off of me. We continued to eat pizza and joked about how much fun we were having here when Rose got our attention.

"Well, I have something fun to ask you girls." she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Ask it." Alice said looking curiously at her. Rose's look made me nervous.

"Name one fantasy you have that you would like to make real?" She asked almost daring us to answer. "Bella, you can go first."

"Oh, I don't know, Rose." I said blushing. "I never really thought much about it."

"Everybody's thought about it." Said Alice. "There has to be something."

"I know I have thought about it for sure." Rose spoke up.

I was relieved to have a few moments to come up with something before they returned to me.

"I think it would be such a turn on to have a pool boy there for your every need. I could lay by the pool and make him wait on me and pleasure me at my leisure while I sunbathed in the nude." Rose's mind was far away imagining all this while she stared at the ceiling with a big grin.

"Naked by the pool," said Alice pondering the thought, "sounds very relaxing."

"Okay Bella, back to you." Rose remembered me.

"Umm, I guess I have always wanted to be painted by an artist." I was looking at the floor as I spoke. "You know, have a nude picture done."

"OH, oh…"Rose interrupted. "And he gets all into you as his subject and starts painting your body with his paintbrushes and edible paint! That would be HOT!" Alice was once again taking notes in her head.

"I hadn't actually taken it that far Rose." I blushed but at the same time found myself smiling at the thought.

"I can tell by that look you would love to have your body painted by that artist. That is now your fantasy Bella, and you know it!" Both girls giggled at me in agreement.

"Sure, sure I suppose that does sound a bit exciting." I admitted wanted to move on to someone else. "Alice can you think of a fantasy?"

"That is easy!" said Alice without hesitation. "I have always wanted to be a lady vampire. I would wear a leather panty set and have my way with a man biting at him all over. Did you know they even sell fake blood that is flavored like cherry?"

"Actually Alice, I noticed an outfit like that and some fake blood in that adult shop. You should go back there and buy it. It was even on the sale rack!" Rose eagerly pointed out as I felt my jaw drop when I remembered something from earlier today.

"Alice?" I stared at her wide eyed.

"Yes?" she turned toward me with the biggest grin I had ever seen on her face.

"You didn't!" I shouted in awe.

"What are you two not filling me in on?" Rose was confused.

"Alice you bought that set today didn't you?" I blurted out loud.

"You actually bought it already!" Rose was on her feet. "I want to see it!"

Alice gladly ran out of the room and returned a few minutes later carrying the small bag that I had seen her leave the store with. We all jumped onto the bed to get comfortable. The little bag was lying in the center between us and we all stared at it.

"That bag is so small," I said amazed, "is there actually an outfit in there?"

"And Fang Juice. Well, that is what it is called on the bottle." Alice said bouncing on her knees.

"Open the damn bag Alice, I want to see this!" Rose demanded.

Alice opened the bag and let the contents fall out onto the bed. Rose quickly grabbed the leather bra and panty set while I picked up the Fang Juice to read the contents.

"You can actually eat this stuff." I said. "It is mostly corn syrup and food coloring, wow!"

"It is amazing what they can do with a few pieces of leather and some string!" Rose remarked as she examined the panty set. "You will look so HOT in this! Are you planning on actually wearing this anytime soon?"

"I sure am. I want to make my fantasy a reality for sure and I finally have the man I want to share that fantasy with." Alice narrowed her eyes as she stared at the bedroom door.

"Jasper is going to freak! You know that right? If I hear girly screams coming from his room I will know that it is not from you!" Rose was laughing hard enough to shake the whole bed and we joined her.

We cleaned up the food and lay back down on the bed telling stories about when we were little until we finally fell asleep. I couldn't stop thinking about lying next to Edward. I so wished I could feel his arms around me when I slept. Sure there were three of us in this bed but it was no where near the same.

My thoughts drifted off to a place I wasn't familiar with. I was lying on a sheet that was spread out on a couch. I did notice I was wearing Edward's t-shirt but nothing underneath it. A bronze haired, gorgeous man was standing near a table and turned to walk toward me. It was my Edward. I could see his emerald green eyes staring at me as his crooked smile made me feel all warm inside. _Edward…please touch me. _I moved my legs against each other as he neared me. Watching my every move he bent over placing a kiss on my lips. He then lifted a paint brush and palate of paints off the floor. He used the brush to carefully paint my lips a very luscious red and ran his tongue across them as we both tasted the strawberry flavor. _Edible paints!_

"Bella," I heard Rose and Alice's voice as the whole bed started bouncing up and down.

"It's time to get up for work. Hurry so we can get downstairs and have breakfast with the boys before they leave for the boat!" Rose encouraged me.

**EPOV**

"I _know_ I am going to miss you." Bella said. Then she kissed me like she never had before. She even bit at my bottom lip before she said something about Alice that I didn't quite hear and she walked away. I could feel the smile on my face as I froze in place.

"Dude, your lip is bleeding. What did you do? Do you need a napkin or something? Are you okay?" Jasper asked before he started waving his hands in front of my face. "Hey man, are you in there somewhere?"

"Oh yeah, sorry. You don't need to get in a frenzy. I guess I zoned out. I'm okay Jazz it's nothing. I will help you clean up." I said as I tried to clear my head. I tasted blood as I ran my tongue across my lip. _Bella Swan…you have no idea what you do to me_.

We quickly picked up the media room and I pitched pillows to Jasper as he put them on the couch. Emmett was standing in the doorway smiling.

"I have napkins, bottled water and pizza. Do we need anything else?" He asked.

"Sounds great and I'm getting hungry. We're all finished in here." Jasper answered.

We climbed the stairway and as we passed Emmett's room all we could hear was _Ewww Alice _and a whole lot of laughing. Emmett noticed a pair of his sweats and a pillow lying on the floor outside his door. As he picked them up we all smiled at each other, shook our heads and kept walking. I was almost sure I could pick out the sound of Bella's laughter. I found myself becoming very aware of the sound of her voice.

"I'm going to change and I'll be up in a minute." Jasper said running into his room while Emmett followed me into my room.

"Geez, you and Jasper have issues!" Emmett commented. "What's up with the nice neat rooms? I just toss things where I can find them."

"I can see that." I watched him toss his pillow and sweats onto the floor. "Hey, what's that red stuff on your pillow? Is that lip prints"

"Where?" Emmett snatched his pillow off the floor and flipped it around. I saw a big grin light up his face. "That's my Rosie. It must be her kiss goodnight. Don't you dare point it out to Jasper or I'll never hear the end of it!"

"I'm not saying anything." I said as Emmett once again tossed the pillow carefully on the floor so the lips prints were hidden. He pulled off his socks and shirt then threw them on a chair. "You would drive me crazy. I would have to put up a divider so your stuff stayed on your side of the room."

"Don't think I didn't consider that myself already." Jasper added as he came into the room looking around. "It's pretty nice up here Edward."

"Hey Suzie homemaker and Virgin boy, I hate to break up your home décor tour but are we ready to eat?" Emmett ignored us as he set the pizza box on the floor and made himself comfortable. We sat down and joined him grabbing a slice. "So what exactly do girls do at these sleepover things?"

"You mean Bella never had a sleepover at your house with a bunch of giggling girls?" Jasper asked.

"No, not that I remember." Emmett said, "And I think I would have remembered girls running around my house in their pajamas. She never seemed to get involved with all of those girl cliques. She's a lot more intellectual than most of the _Barbie girls_ as she likes to call them."

"Rose always had friends over our house. You wouldn't believe some of the lingerie these girls wear to sleepovers!" Jasper said shaking his head.

"So Rosie wears lingerie a lot then huh?" Emmett pondered this thought. "I just new she would."

"Emm, that's my sister you're picturing half naked in your head. Would you mind not drooling as you do that? I'm still getting used to the idea of you going out with her." I watched Jasper crack a small smile as he threw his napkin at Emmett.

"Eddie, aren't you worried about your sister locking lips with Jazz here? They seem to be getting pretty close lately." Emmett teased.

"I know Alice can take care of herself if need be. She is very tuff and fast for such a small thing. She is also pretty darn smart. She seems to be able to always know your next move before you do. I am still not sure how she does that." I answered as I thought of her running off with my books whenever she had the chance.

"I already know what you mean." Jasper laughed. "I was only thinking about kissing her and she looked me in the eyes and said _Stop thinking about it and just do it already_." This caused us all to burst out laughing.

"Rose doesn't wait for me to act, she is pretty aggressive. If she wants a kiss she just kisses me first. I think that's so HOT!" Emmett said with excitement. "For being twins you are definitely no where as aggressive as Rose when it comes to members of the opposite sex. Thanks man for letting me get to know her better and being alright with that."

"As long as you treat her right you won't have a problem with me. She's always been one to get what she wants when she wants it. I am not as bold as she is. When I find the girl meant for me, I will be happy to just enjoy life with her." Jasper said.

"Do you think Alice is that girl?" I asked him taking another piece of pizza.

"When I first saw her at the airport she almost knocked me off my feet. Since we have been here at the house I have realized she is quite fun to be around. I'm drawn to her and I can't explain it." Jasper admitted. "I see you and Bella are getting pretty close."

"Yeah, I see that too!" Emmett gave me the evil eye as he ripped a bite off his pizza.

"Sorry about this morning. We really were just playing around…I mean not in that way…she started it…" I just couldn't spit the words out.

"Its okay man, she pretty much put me in my place. I guess I don't have much room to complain when I consider how I act. I'm just not used to seeing Bella with a guy. She never really dated anyone. Maybe just a movie with some geek and then she was always home right after." Emmett frowned.

"I promise I will treat her with respect Emmett. I have to be honest with you. I have not been big on dating either. I have never really met a girl that interested me and I didn't want to go out with a girl just for something to do. Bella is so different. She is not like any girl I have ever met before. I just like being near her. She is almost like a drug or something." I mused while Jasper and Emmett laughed at me.

"Eddie, you have a crush on Bella!" Emmett laughed and punched me in the shoulder.

"Geez Emmett, be careful of my pitching arm!" I rubbed my shoulder and laughed right along with them. _Is that what it was? A crush? _That seemed like just a temporary thing to me. I was pretty sure this was so much more than that.

We picked up our mess from the floor and decided we were too tired to keep talking. I went to change into some comfortable sweat pants and a t-shirt. When I returned Emmett was already snoring and he was sleeping in _my bed_. What the heck!

"Good thing you have a lot of floor space up here." Jasper said noticing my shocked expression and throwing me a pillow. "Unless you are planning on getting him to move over and give you some room." He laughed.

"Uh, no way!" I replied and found a spot on the floor. I must have been more tired than I thought because I found myself dreaming of Bella as soon as shut my eyes.

When I woke up felt like I was suffocating, but I couldn't figure out why. It's like I was being buried alive or something. I opened my eyes and noticed it was still dark. What the heck is going on? Pushing my hands up I realized I was under a blanket, and a pillow and another blanket and pillow.

"Hey!" I shouted. "What's up with the homemade coffin you put me in?"

Jasper was just coming back in the room as Emmett stood over me looking like the cat that ate the canary.

"What did you do Emmett?" asked Jasper eyeing the situation.

"Well, Eddie here was calling Bella over and over and I just wondered how many things I could pile on top of him before I muffled out the sound of his moans!" They both bent over laughing until tears were in their eyes.

"Thank guys, you are really funny. You could have suffocated me under there." I grumbled.

"Don't worry, Bella would've come to your rescue Eddie." Emmett choked as they kept laughing.

I pelted them with pillows and pushed them out the door so I could get ready for work. I wanted to get down to breakfast and hopefully see Bella before we left for the boat.

**A/N: And so the story continues…**

**Does it seem like Bella is getting brave around Edward? His very own sister pretty much told her if she wants it she should go for it. Looks like she has the green light! Heck, when it comes to Edward, who needs a green light to tell you to go for it? **

**Anxiously waiting for your reviews! Have a great week!**


	18. Can You Feel My Heartbeat

Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We enjoy being creative with the characters in our make believe world, but we hold not rights to them otherwise.

**A/N: Once again thank you for all the wonderful reviews! So glad you are enjoying the story. We wanted to give a special thanks to Jennmc75 for an idea that was used in this chapter.**

**Get comfortable and grab a glass of something really, really cold to drink. Trust us, you will need it! Enjoy!**

_Previously:_

_I pelted them with pillows and pushed them out the door so I could get ready for work. I wanted to get down to breakfast and hopefully see Bella before we left for the boat. _

**BPOV**

I decided I needed a cool shower because of the interesting dream Rose and Alice helped put into my head. I honestly have no idea how those two come up with these things.

Edward is obviously interested in me, I have noticed that in more ways than one, and I know I am definitely interested in him. There's so much more to him than most boys I have met. I can also tell he's just as nervous as I am, and it's nice to have him worry about my feelings instead of trying to push things between us. How did I luck out enough to find someone like him?

"Bella hurry, we're waiting for you," Alice called.

"Okay, 2 minutes!" I decided to let my hair dry on its own today instead of spending the time blow-drying it. I pulled on my shorts and work shirt then put a headband in my hair to keep it out of my face.

Rose and Alice were standing by the doorway. They were all fixed up as usual and anxious to get down to breakfast. As we hurried down the stairs we could hear the sound of voices coming from the kitchen. Rose grabbed Alice and me by the arm and pulled us over to the side, out of view, near the kitchen door.

"Shh," she said. "I want to listen in for a minute. I thought I heard my name." We eagerly tried to listen in, which wasn't too hard since the boys were pretty loud.

"She'll come through that door all fixed up and looking to get my attention, you just watch." Emmett sounded confident.

"Rose always commands attention Emmett. That doesn't necessarily mean her focus is completely on you." Jasper laughed at him.

"She'll walk through that door and come straight over to me. You'll see." Emmett bragged. "Let's see if you have Alice as interested in you as Rosie is in me. Will she grab her breakfast or go directly to you?"

"Hmm, Alice is hard to read sometimes. You never know what's in her head." Jasper thought out loud, tapping his finger to his chin.

"Believe me, you don't want to know what's in her head!" Edward laughed.

"I think she'll come over to say good morning to me first." Jasper answered.

"Well, we'll just see about that. So Edward, are you in on this little wager?" Emmett was always eager for a challenge. He and Jasper were always making bets on everything.

"I don't know guys. I never like to bet against Alice." Edward sounded very hesitant.

"Where have you been the last few minutes? You're not betting on Alice or Rose, you're betting on what you think Bella will do when she comes in the kitchen. Will she grab you first or her breakfast?" Jasper explained.

"Oh well, we are just getting to know each other. I don't think she would be so interested in what I was doing first thing in the morning. If she is coming into the kitchen it's to get something for breakfast." Edward answered and I almost thought I heard a sigh. Alice pulled us further back from the doorway.

"Did you hear that?" She whispered with excitement. "I believe we need to give Jasper and Emmett a reality check and Bella this is the perfect time for you to boost Edward's self esteem! Don't leave him with any doubts that you're interested in him."

We looked at each other with devious smiles and we knew just what had to be done. Walking through the kitchen door, Rose and Alice went straight over to the coffee pot not even looking toward the boys and I waited a minute before I went in.

I watched just out of view as both Jasper and Emmett stared wide-eyed at the girls. Edward was trying not to crack a smile. Rose and Alice talked to each other as they fixed their coffee and decided on which Danish would taste best not once acknowledging the guys were even there.

As I walked through the door I turned straight toward the direction of the table. I walked right over to Edward noticing the grimaces on both the other boy's faces. Edward stood up as I approached. Those gorgeous green eyes were all I needed to see to give me confidence. I stopped right in front of him with only an inch of space between us.

"Good morning handsome," I said not quite sure that I had actually said that out loud. Then all at once I placed my hands on his chest and stretched up on my tiptoes to place a kiss across his warm lips.

Edward responded immediately and kissed me back placing his hands on top of mine holding them to his chest.

"Good morning to you too," He told me. "I did miss you last night."

"I hoped you would." I answered as his lips came back down to mine kissing me so sweetly.

"How the hell does this happen? Are me and Jasper invisible or what?" Emmett's loud booming voice sounded throughout the kitchen. He was looking back and forth between us all.

I pulled away from Edward for a moment to watch with amusement as we both began laughing. Rose and Alice giggled uncontrollably almost choking on their Danish while Jasper stuck his lip out and kicked at the floor.

"Emmett you suck!" Jasper growled as he hit him in the eye with a piece of pastry.

"Ow Rose, I'm injured! I need you!" Emmett whined as he rubbed his eyelid.

"That's right Emmett, you _need_ me. When will you get that through your head?" Rose told him as she walked over, kissed him, and made sure his eye was okay.

Alice skipped over to Jasper and lifted his chin placing a kiss on his poor little pouting lip. The whole scene was actually quite pathetic and when I turned back to look at Edward he was already looking at me with a huge smile. We started laughing again and wrapped our arms around each other. It only took a few seconds before we were both being pelted with napkin balls and small paper plates.

Ducking to get away from the artillery, Edward followed me over to the counter and fixed us both some coffee while I grabbed a Cheese Danish.

"Edward, do you think we could go for a walk or something tonight, just the two of us?" I asked.

"I would really like that." He said and kissed the top of my head. "We better hurry up or we won't have a chance to eat."

When we walked back to the table he held a chair out for me next to where he was sitting. I quickly made myself comfortable and moved my chair right up against Edward's. He smiled and put his arm around me as I ate my breakfast. We were all talking about things we might do today after work until Carlisle and Esme walked through the door.

"What a lovely sight!" said Esme very cheerfully. "It is so nice to see you all getting along so well. We appreciate that you have been flexible with the sleeping arrangements until everything gets back in order."

"Everything's been working out just fine so far Esme. If you need any other help from us just let us know." Jasper said and we all nodded in agreement.

"We have been very pleased with all that you kids have done for us. This home is yours throughout the rest of this summer and we have noticed how wonderfully you have been taking care of it while you're here. So after work we would like all of you to join us for dinner at Margaritaville." Carlisle said with an exuberant smile. "It is not far from the house and we can all walk down together."

We excitedly thanked him and Esme for the compliments and for the dinner invitation. Then we cleaned up our breakfast mess making sure to pick up any remaining paper plates or napkins that were around the room. Carlisle was going to drop Esme off at the shop on his way down to the boat so they left before the rest of us.

We were waiting on the front porch when Jack pulled up in the van. He dropped us off at the shop before taking the guys with him to the boat. Luckily we were pretty busy and the day went by fast. I felt myself getting anxious to see Edward again so I rushed around trying to get things ready to close up faster than I ever had before. I'm not used to this feeling. I've noticed that I feel so much better when I know he's nearby. _Am I crazy? Yeah, I guess maybe I am...Crazy for Edward that is. _

"Hey Bella," Alice stopped me as I was putting away the broom. "Who put a firecracker in your pants?"

"Very funny Alice, I'm just hungry and want to go out to dinner. It sounds like it's going to be fun." I replied.

"Bella, look at me." She ordered as she stared into my eyes. "Yeah…that's what I thought. You're not hungry for dinner, you're starving for Edward!"

"Alice!" I felt my face turning bright red.

"Oh my Alice, give the poor girl a break." Rose walked up just in time. "I'm sure Bella would much rather eat her dinner and save Edward for dessert."

"Oh…my…gosh!" I screamed while both Rose and Alice were doubled over in laughter. "Thanks for all the love girls. I gotta tell you, if something does happen between me and Edward I am **not** going to tell either of you!" I dropped my face into my hands and couldn't help myself from laughing.

"Oh, we'll be able to tell without you even saying a word." Rose pointed out with a smirk.

"That's right; you can't hide anything from us." Alice crossed her arms and winked at me. "Besides, you know we love you Bella." She said as she and Rose wrapped their arms around me, pulling me into a hug worthy of Emmett.

They were squeezing me tightly and rocking me back and forth. I couldn't breath and was becoming a bit dizzy but was thankfully saved by the horn. _Thank you Jack!_ Rose and Alice giggled as they let go of me and we turned out the lights and locked the door behind us. Jasper was standing outside the door of the van to help us in. I looked around quickly and noticed Edward wasn't there.

"Where's Edward?" Alice asked noticing the look of concern on my face.

"Oh, he's with Carlisle. We stayed back to help Jack secure the boat. They had to make a stop and would meet us at the restaurant." Emmett answered her.

When we arrived back at the house everyone went to their rooms to get changed. Alice and Rose were once again throwing clothes on the bed deciding what to wear and opted for short skirts and tank tops which was fine with me. I pulled on my khaki skirt, which came about mid thigh, and a dark blue tank with a pair of white canvas tennis shoes. If I went for a walk with Edward I wanted to be comfortable.

We were back downstairs rather quickly, beating even Emmett and Jasper. Esme walked in from the kitchen just as the boys came down the stairs.

"Good, looks like we're all ready." She said with a smile. "We should get there right on time. Bella will you walk up front with me and keep me company?"

"Sure." I smiled back at her happy to not walk alone.

Emmett and Jasper talked about the group of boy scouts they took out on a tour today. Before we knew it we were standing in front of Margaritaville. The music was very upbeat and we could smell the wonderful food. I could hear Emmett's stomach growl as he headed straight for the door pulling Rose behind him.

As I stepped through the doorway I noticed Carlisle sitting at table in the far corner. He stood up when he saw us walk in and waved us over. I had only taken a few steps when I felt two arms wrap around my waist, from behind me. This should have scared me but right away I felt my body relax and I wrapped my arms over the top of his.

"Edward, I was just looking for you." I felt him rest his head on my shoulder.

"How did you know it was me?" His sultry voice whispered in my ear.

"I could never mistake the feel of your arms around me; I like how it feels." I was surprised I'd said that out loud. I turned myself so I was facing him and saw a startled look on his face. "Does that bother you?"

"I guess I am always shocked to hear you say things like that. I just never thought it was possible that you could feel the same way I do." His green eyes seemed to look straight into my soul as if he was searching for something.

"That would actually be my thoughts too." I confessed while I was lost in that beautiful emerald sea.

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat, "Are you going to stare into each others eyes all night or would you like to join us for dinner? As much fun as it would be to live on love, you really need to eat too." Carlisle walked away laughing.

_Love?_ I know deep inside I keep telling myself I'm falling in love with Edward. I was worried that I was being silly. That it's just a one sided thing and he wouldn't feel that strongly for me, but I can't deny it anymore. It seems very obvious to everyone else that we are attracted to each other. Why are we the last ones to see it? I knew I didn't want to be anywhere else with anyone else.

We sat down next to each other at the table noticing the smiles from everyone as they glanced at us over their menus. This made me blush uncomfortably until I felt Edward take my hand in his under the table.

The waitress was just coming over with two pitchers of drinks. Carlisle and Esme ordered fish dinners and the rest of us decided that we just had to try the Cheeseburger in Paradise. The atmosphere here was very festive. A featured band was warming up to play and most of the tables were filled.

"We thought you might enjoy coming here." Carlisle commented. "So, what have you been doing with the house all to yourselves?"

"This place is great!" Alice replied as she danced in her seat listening to the band. "This has been such a fun summer so far. We have watched a lot of movies, played cards and beat the pants off of the boys (she winked at us), walked around town and shopped and relaxed by the pool. Last night we kicked Emmett out of his room and had a girl's night. It's so wonderful here. Even working for you and Esme is the best! I never thought I would have such a good time doing my job!"

"I plan to come back every year if you need me to." Emmett smiled and then added, "Well, as long as Rose is coming back too." Rose smiled cutely at Emmett.

"I see things have become a lot more comfortable between all of you lately." Said Esme.

"We're putting up with each other." Jasper replied with a nod causing us all to start laughing. The waitress then returned with our food. Everyone began eating right away and we commented on how delicious everything was. As we were finishing up Carlisle asked for our attention.

"When you are finished you can stay and enjoy the music or find other interesting things to do. Esme and I are meeting some friends for a game of cards tonight so we won't be staying with you. Tomorrow morning when Jack picks you up he will bring everyone down to the boat. Since our senior citizen tour has rescheduled I thought I would use the opening in the schedule to take everyone out so that we can enjoy a chance to snorkel ourselves." He paused to get our reaction. We were all very happy with the announcement. "Esme's lady friends are covering the shop for the day so that will not be a problem. Enjoy your evening!"

We all told Esme and Carlisle Thank You as they left. We decided to separate into couples and do our own thing tonight. Jasper, Alice, Rose and Emmett were going to stay here and enjoy some music and dancing. Edward and I thought it would be a perfect chance to go for our walk.

We left Margaritaville hand in hand and walked down Duval Street. The downtown area sure came alive in the evenings. We pointed out different interesting things we saw along the way and decided to head back to the house and sit on the balcony since it was such a nice night. We knew everyone would be out for a while and we would have some peace and quiet.

"Are you having a nice summer Bella?" He asked as we walked the last block to the house.

"It's been really nice. How about you?" I turned to look at him as I asked.

"It's been more than I ever expected." Edward answered as we reached the front door.

"We can sit on the balcony outside of Emmett's room. It has a good view of the sunset." I suggested. "But we better hurry so we don't miss it."

Edward quickly opened the door and locked it behind us. He grabbed me by the arm and swung me around him and onto his back taking the stairs two at a time. He rushed through Emmett's room and out onto the balcony stopping near the rail. I hopped down from his back and fixed my skirt, which had slid way up to the tops of my legs.

"Sorry." Edward smirked at me staring at my legs making me blush.

Edward stepped behind me wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his head on my shoulder like he did at the restaurant. The sun was setting and cast beautiful colors across the sky. Edward held me against him humming a sweet tune in my ear and swaying back and forth. I closed my eyes as I rested back against his chest listening to the sound of his voice.

"Bella, there is something I have been thinking about a lot and I need to tell you…" He seemed to be struggling for the words. "I…I need to know if maybe you feel the same."

"Edward…" I began.

"Don't say anything yet," he stopped me then lowered his mouth to my neck softly kissing his way up. I felt his warm breath against my ear and I let out a small whimper. He held my arms against my stomach under his and I couldn't turn around to face him. I pressed myself back against him waiting for him to finish what he was going to say. I was in no way prepared for what I was about to hear.

"Bella, I am falling in love with you…and I don't know what to do about that." He whispered in my ear. I felt my knees go weak and Edward must have felt it too. He quickly turned me around to face him. "Bella are you okay?"

"Edward..." I stared at him in a daze placing my hands on his face. His eyes frantically searched my face for some kind of reaction to his words. "Edward I'm falling in love with you too." I said as I saw the realization register in his eyes.

Edward's lips crashed into mine as he pulled me urgently into him with one arm around my back and one around my waist. I tangled my fingers through his gorgeous bronze hair and immediately opened my mouth letting our tongues embrace hungrily until we had to take a moment to breathe. We rested our foreheads against each other's.

"Edward, feel my heart." I said as I reached around my back grabbing his hand and placing it on my chest. I kept my hand on top of his as he felt my heart beat out of control. I had never had a boy tell me he was in love with me and I was scared and excited all at the same time. I knew that Edward was nothing but serious when he said those words.

We both continued to breathe heavily as we looked into each other's eyes. Entwining my fingers in his, I slowly slid our hands down the center of my chest feeling his fingers brush against my swells. When our hands reached the front of my waist his fingers were warm on my skin. My top had pulled up just enough to expose my stomach and Edward closed his eyes for a moment as a quiet moan escaped his slightly parted lips. I felt myself becoming aroused as I tightened my grip on his hand and moved his fingertips across the front of my stomach. I then pulled his hand up under my shirt until it was resting on my bra. His eyes never left mine as a ragged breath escaped my lips when he let his fingers slide under the lace and brush my nipple. He brought both of his hands down to my hips and pulled me into him as he kissed me passionately.

I knew I couldn't pull myself away from him nor did I want him to stop touching me. This was it and unless he didn't want me in this way I wasn't going to let this stop. I put both of my hands on top of his one more time entwining our fingers again. At the same time as he slid his hands down my legs I pressed my hips into him and felt every bit of his desire for me. When our hands reached the bottom of my short skirt, I slid them up and around to the curve of my bottom. Edward's fingers trailed along under the lace of my underwear leaving fire in its wake. I moved my hands up to his chest as he cupped my bottom and lifted me up. I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. We continued to kiss passionately on the balcony, me in Edward's arms, as the sun set behind us. _What a perfect Twilight._

"Bella…" he said as he pulled his mouth away from mine. My name rolled off his tongue in such a sultry way it made me moan. "Oh god, do you know what you are doing to me?"

"Edward I am not going to stop unless you make me." I said to him very seductively and pulled his shirt collar to the side as I began to suck on his neck.

**EPOV**

Her words shocked and excited me and my body instantly reacted. I wanted nothing more than to take Bella to bed but I was still hesitant. I didn't want to take something so special away from her if she wasn't certain and I didn't want her to regret anything. Being a gentleman was becoming more and more difficult as I felt her breasts press up against my chest. She continued to suck on my neck and my worries slowly faded away.

I carried her through the balcony doorway, into the hall and up the stairs to the loft. I pressed her back against the wall by the stairs and ground my arousal into her.

"Can you feel what you do to me Bella? Are you sure you want to do this? We don't have to." My words came out in a low growl as my lips found her collarbone. I trailed my tongue all the way to the center of her neck and up her chin back to her lips.

Every bit of fear she had was melting away as she slid her hands down my chest. She pulled my shirt up and lifted it over my head. "I'm sure Edward." She began placing feather soft kisses on my upper chest as her fingers slid down stopping just inside of my waistband, causing me to snap my head up and stare into her eyes. I tried to speak but couldn't form the words. I had to clear my throat, "Bella?"

"Hmm?" She mumbled from my chest.

"God, nothing, everything." I couldn't form a coherent thought with her hands all over me like this. "You're wearing too many clothes." I was still holding her up with her legs wrapped around my waist as her back was pressed against the wall. I grabbed the hem of her tank top and lifted it off. My breath hitched as I looked down to see the angel I was holding. Her blue, lace bra was practically see-through and her nipples were standing at attention. "You are so beautiful." I slowly and softly placed my palms over her swells and stopped breathing.

She leaned forward and we kissed passionately, our tongues entwining like two dancing serpents. My hands moved from her chest to her bottom and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold my control much longer. "Bed, we need to get to the bed." I grunted as I pulled away from the wall. I carried her over to the bed in the corner and slowly placed her down. She lay in the middle of the bed on her back with her knees slightly bent. I stood over her taking in the beauty in front of me; she was offering herself to me.

I kneeled on the bed beside her and slowly leaned down to kiss her softly. She pulled me down on top of her as our kiss deepened. I let my knee rest between her legs as my hand rested on her stomach. I kissed her jaw line, down to her neck and along her collarbone as my hand moved to her heaving chest. I kissed down the center of her chest, making sure to place a soft kiss on the center of each swell, before I looked up at her. I wanted to make sure she was okay with going further before I continued. She gave me a shy smile as I undid the front clasp of her bra never breaking eye contact with her.

I slowly let my eyes move down her body to the magnificent site in front of me. Her breasts were the perfect size and her nipples were taut, pink peaks. "Perfection." I whispered trying to reassure her. I must have stared a little too long because she self-consciously tried to bring her arms up to cover herself. I grasped her wrists softly and placed them over her head. "Don't Bella, you are absolutely stunning." I held her wrists with one hand as my other hand moved to her chest, massaging and kneading her sumptuous breasts. I began to kiss her neck again, making my way down to the mounds in my hand. I looked up at her before I kissed the top of her left breast. She moaned my name as I took her nipple into my mouth. I had never tasted anything as sweet as Bella. Her skin tasted like peaches and it was a delicatessen I could become addicted to. As my mouth continued its ministrations on one breast my hand continued to massage the other. I switched breasts making sure to lavish the same amount of attention on each.

Once I released her wrists she immediately put her hands in my hair. She was moaning my name like an angelic symphony. I moved my hand down to the top of her skirt slowly dipping my finger beneath the khaki material. Bella didn't say anything to stop me so I slowly undid the button and slipped her skirt down. She had on matching lace, blue panties and my breath hitched in my throat. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. "Exquisite," I whispered as I kissed her stomach and my hand trailed along the outline of her panties. I hesitantly pulled at the band of her panties not sure if I should take it any farther when her hands stopped me.

"Now _you're_ wearing too many clothes Edward." She giggled as she pointed her thin finger at my jeans. I shrugged as I climbed off the bed and pulled my jeans down leaving me in my white boxers. I climbed back onto the bed immediately going back to her panties. She squirmed a little uncomfortably as I slowly pulled them down exposing her completely to me. I tried not to stare; I didn't want to make her more uncomfortable than she already was. I kissed a trail back up her body to her luscious mouth as my hand lingered close to her core. I wanted to touch her but I wasn't certain what to do or how to do it and I wasn't sure if she really wanted me to.

"Touch me Edward, please." She pushed my hand down toward the area I most wanted to touch.

"Are you sure Bella?"

"Do you not want to? I thought you…" She turned her head away and tried to cover herself again. I stopped her and cupped her chin with my hand.

"Of course I want to…God; I want you more than I've wanted anything else in my life. I've dreamed of this moment since the first time I saw you. Please don't cover yourself up, let me see you." She looked me in the eyes and smiled as I slowly moved my hand down her body resting in between her legs. As I slowly moved my fingers up and down her moist core, I looked into her brown eyes. She moaned and then closed her eyes as she bit her lip. I wasn't certain what I was doing, going only on instinct, but she seemed to be enjoying it. I slid one finger inside her and began moving it in and out at a slow pace. I slid a second finger in and almost lost it at the sensation and feel of her. I placed my thumb on the bundle of nerves further up and began rubbing a circle in step with the movement of my fingers. She moaned my name and arched her back up. Her hips began to move with my hand and her breathing became heavy and rapid. Watching her chest move up and down along with the sensations of touching her almost brought me to my own climax. I couldn't believe I was actually doing it right but was thrilled that I could give her this kind of pleasure.

"Edward, oh God, Edward." She was panting and I could feel her muscles clamping down as she arched her back up again and screamed my name. She relaxed back into the mattress and I withdrew my hand, moving back up to kiss her sweetly. I couldn't help the apparent smirk of satisfaction on my face.

"Was that okay? Did I please you enough?" I needed to hear her tell me I had pleased her, after all I am a man who sometimes needs his ego stroked.

"Uh-huh, that was _more _than okay. My God, I never knew my body could feel like that. Thank you Edward." She kissed me sweetly before pushing on my shoulders.

"Bella? What are you doing?" I allowed her to push me off her and onto my back. Her hands moved up and down my chest as she placed a soft kiss each place her hands had touched.

"My turn to please you." She started to pull my boxers down before I grabbed her wrists and stopped her.

"You don't have to do that Bella."

"I want to." She smiled demurely at me as she pulled my boxers off. She sat there for a moment drinking me in, her eyes wide and her mouth forming an "O." It was my turn to become shy and I cleared my throat to pull her out of her ogling.

"Sorry, I've never seen a naked man before…well right in front of me that is. You are the beautiful one Edward Cullen." She slowly moved back up my body kissing my chest and neck as her breasts pressed against my skin melting me on contact. Her tiny hand grasped my manhood and I couldn't breathe; no one had ever touched me there before. My breathing became labored with each stroke of her hand. She moved her hand up and down slowly, torturing me with each pass.

"Harder Bella, grip harder, faster." I was shocked at the words that came out of my mouth but I couldn't take the slow pace she was moving at any longer. She hesitated for a moment, looking up at me through her dark lashes. "You won't hurt me, I promise." I said as reassuringly as I could.

She gripped me harder and began moving faster. I found my hips moving up and down to match her pace and movement. "Oh God, Bella…that's it baby, don't stop." _Where is this dirty talk coming from? _She buried her head in my neck and began to suck on the soft skin. I knew she was going to leave a mark but I didn't care. I closed my eyes as I felt my own release coming fast and hard. I grunted and called out her name as I climaxed. "BELLA, SHIT!"

She stopped moving and released her grasp on me as I panted, trying to bring myself back to reality. "That was amazing! Sweetheart, you were perfect." I grabbed her face and began kissing her passionately. I used the sheet to clean myself up and then rolled her over onto her back.

"I did okay then?" She asked me shyly.

"Oh yes." I answered as my hands began moving along her body again. I wanted more, No...I needed more of her. I was hovering over her body, supporting my weight with my arms as I positioned myself between her legs. "Are you sure? We can stop if you want. I don't want you to do anything you are not ready for."

"I'm ready. I want you Edward, right now." She grabbed my shoulders and pulled me down onto her as she spread her legs further apart, inviting me in. I hesitated a moment before placing myself at her…._**BANG! SLAM! **_

"What was that?" She asked and we both looked toward the stairs leading up to the loft.

"LUCY...I'M HOME!!"

"Shit, its Emmett! They're back." Bella whispered in a panicked tone.

I quickly climbed off her and handed her clothes back to her. "Quick, get dressed. I really don't want your brother to find us like this. I'd like to live to touch you tomorrow." I chuckled as I raced to put my clothes back on. I helped her off the bed and grasped her hand as we made our way down the stairs. I stopped at the landing and pulled her close to me.

"I love you Isabella." I whispered before I pulled her into an embrace and kissed her fervently. After a minute, I pulled away leaving both of us gasping for air.

"I love you too Edward." She giggled and I led her down the stairs to the first floor. We made it halfway down before we bumped into Emmett. He froze on the stairs looking at us as if he'd seen a ghost. I saw his eyes rake up and down our figures before stopping at my eyes. He had a look of pure menace and for a moment I was actually afraid.

"Hey Em, have fun tonight?" Bella asked him, trying to deter him.

"Not as much as you two did apparently." He scowled.

"What do you mean?" Bella released my hand and placed her hands on her hips.

"Have you looked in the mirror Bells? You have sex hair and your skirt is on backwards. Edward is giving sex hair a new meaning and his shirt is inside out. Oh, not to mention Eddie…you've got a hickey the size of Texas on your neck. Mind telling me what you two have been doing?" He looked pissed and he was directing it all at Edward.

"None of your business Emmett now get out of the way." Bella yelled.

"I don't think so little sis. I demand an explanation and I think Eddie and I need to have a talk outside."

"Not this big brother crap again. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm a grown woman and I don't owe you anything? Now get the fuck out of our way." I turned to look at Bella with awe and shock; I had never heard her speak like that before. Emmett must have realized he wasn't going to get far tonight and acquiesced. He turned to the side to let us pass and I placed my hand on the small of Bella's back to direct her down. I was about to pass by Emmett when he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"This isn't over. You and I _WILL _be having a chat later." He said through clenched teeth.

"But of course Emmett, whatever you say." I smirked and followed Bella into the living room.

_Damn, we had come so close but were interrupted._ As we sat on the sofa watching a movie with the others I couldn't help but think back at the night's events. Bella and I had declared our feelings for each other and had taken our physical relationship to the next level. It was wonderful to feel her naked body under mine and what that woman did to me left me begging for more. With Emmett's glare burning a hole in my head, I was relieved that we didn't go any further than we had. However, I was ready to take that next step and hoped it would be soon.

**A/N: Awww, you're sad that they got interrupted**_** once again, **_**but excited ****cause Emmett is all worked up one more time! LOL **

**Yeah, Edward is about to get a **_**talking to**_**. Maybe Bella should've run her fingers through that sex hair that Edward had going on before anyone saw them. **

**Geez Bella! I would have gladly done that for you!! LMAO Wouldn't we all?! **

**Please review, it's the least you can do. Thanks!!**


	19. Good Things Come In Small Packages

Disclaimer: These characters and all likenesses to the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We enjoy being creative with the characters in our make believe world, but we hold not rights to them otherwise.

**A/N: **

**Thank you, Thank you once again to our review groupies! You make us laugh and realize how much fun it is to create this story for you!**

**Do you know how hard it was to focus on writing with the release of Breaking Dawn looming upon us? You could almost hear it on Saturday…the sound of pages turning all over the world as we were glued to our Breaking Dawn books shouting comments like: **

**(OME…OMG…Awww…OME…Yeah!...WTF!...WTF!...Grrr…No Freakin way!!...Awww…Oh shite!)**

**Half of the Coven is away on vacation but we still managed to get this chapter out. **

**So, per the request so cleverly worded by birdee18…You may now all become a fly on the wall in Emmett's room…Poof…ENJOY!**

_Previously:_

_Damn, we had come so close but were interrupted.__ As we sat on the sofa watching a movie with the others I couldn't help but think back at the night's events. Bella and I had declared our feelings for each other and had taken our physical relationship to the next level. It was wonderful to feel her naked body under mine and what that woman did to me left me begging for more. With Emmett's glare burning a hole in my head, I was relieved that we didn't go any further than we had. However, I was ready to take that next step and hoped it would be soon. _

**EMPOV**

I had to stop pacing back and forth before I wore a hole in Esme's rug. Have you ever seen the cartoons where the character is so angry there's steam coming out of their ears? Yeah, that would be me. I was on my way upstairs and honestly didn't think anything about Bella and Edward passing me on the stairway until I actually looked at them. There was no way I couldn't have noticed their clothes were inside out and what the hell was with Edward's hair! It was sticking out in all directions like someone had been running their hands through it nonstop! Sex Hair! The boy had freakin sex hair! There was no mistaking it.

"Emmett, is something wrong?" Rose walked into my room and wrapped her arms around my waist with a look of concern.

"I'm trying to calm myself before I have a little talk with Edward." I sighed and then proceeded to explain what I ran into on the stairs.

"Emm, your sister is not a little girl anymore. I understand you want to protect her because it's what you've always done but you have to trust her too. It looks like they seriously care for each other. I don't believe Edward would ever hurt her." Rose tried to explain.

"Sure, sure. I know what you're saying and inside I agree but shit, I still have to have a talk with him whether Bella agrees or not. Let's get downstairs." I gave Rose a quick kiss on the lips before pulling her toward the door. "You are amazing and beautiful. I'm lucky that you put up with me."

"I _am _amazing, beautiful and completely out of my mind for putting up with you. I just wouldn't want to be with anyone else but you Emmett." She said with a sexy smile.

Rose has never said anything like that to me before. She caught me off guard and I stopped quick causing her to run into me.

"Sorry," I said staring into her eyes. "I hadn't really thought about…I mean, like a big idiot I just assumed you would be my girl and I never asked you. Rose, you really want to be my girl?"

"Emmett you hard headed jackass, there's not a damn thing about you that I'm not attracted to. I was really surprised to find you're everything I had always looked for in a guy." She said with a smirk. "Who would have thought?"

"That's my sexy girl." I growled pulling her off her feet and spinning her around. This made her squeal and I felt myself being turned on by the sound of her happiness. I pressed myself against her as we kissed and she ran her fingers through my hair.

"If you don't stop big boy, you're going to have your very own stylish sex hair." She purred.

"Whoa wait!" I pulled away from her smacking myself in the forehead with my open palm. "We need to get downstairs!"

"Oh Emmett." Rose huffed behind me.

When we reached the media room I saw Alice and Jasper spread out on the floor. Bella and Edward were sitting on the couch, which was fine with me. Rose and I sat on the love seat and I had a perfect view of the sex hair twins. They must have taken a few moments to compose themselves because their clothes were back to normal and their hair was combed.

I kept my eye on Edward as I watched Bella nuzzle up against his chest. He carefully wrapped his arms around her keeping his hands in plain sight. Sometimes his hand would brush against her cheek causing her to look up at him and they would stare at each other with adoration. _Somebody call the dentist because all this sweet crap is giving me a toothache! _The cutesiness still wouldn't help me forget what I saw. I figured there was a good twenty minutes left of the movie and I needed to initiate my plan as soon as possible.

"I'll be right back." I whispered in Rose's ear. She turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow and I smiled my shit eating grin at her. Running from bedroom to bedroom, I gathered up some pillows and blankets and brought them downstairs. When I tossed them in a pile on the floor everyone looked up at me.

"Emmett, what on earth are you doing?" Alice asked.

"Everyone seemed so comfortable I thought we could all just camp out down here tonight. Won't that be fun?" I was looking for support and surprisingly I got it.

"Sounds fine with me," said Alice grabbing a pillow. "I didn't want to climb the stairs anyway and as long as I have Jazz here with me, I'm perfect." Jasper smiled and made himself comfortable next to her.

I was waiting for Bella to say something. She gave me the look from hell and then the only word out of her mouth was, "Fine." She grabbed a pillow that Jasper handed her and placed it on the couch. Then she stretched out on her side pulling Edward along with her till she was spooning up against him. Daggers shot from her eyes as all the while she stared at me daring me to say something, anything. As she reached back, she pulled Edward's arm around her then closed her eyes as Edward looked up at me with wide eyes and a nervous grin.

"Emmett, are you going to let me sleep alone?" Rosalie's sweet voice grabbed my attention. She had a nice cozy spot fixed up for us. As we curled up together on the floor, I felt I could rest easy knowing there would be no funny business tonight. Unfortunately, that included me. _Damn!_

**ZZZZzzzz**

"Cock-a-doodle-do!" The sound of a rooster in the form of a pixie invaded everyone's sleep.

"ALICE!" We all groaned together.

"Rise and Shine you lazy bums. I have a feeling this is going to be a fun day!" She cheered as she bounced around the room like a caffeinated rabbit.

Rose and Bella pulled themselves up following Alice to their bedroom to get ready. They knew they didn't have a chance at getting any more sleep when she was already awake.

"Who wants the shower first?" Jasper asked looking at me and Edward with one eye open.

"I'll go." Edward said as he quickly pulled himself up and headed for the stairs.

Jasper lay back down closing his eyes. "I'll go last. Save some hot water."

"No problem." I noticed an opportunity and knew I had to take it. I stood up stretching my aching back. _Stupid floor_. Then I quickly made my way up the stairs. I was just in time to catch Edward leaving the bathroom. His hair was wet and he was toweling it dry. He froze when he saw me waiting for him.

"Oh…I'm…all done if you want the shower next." He stammered.

"It can wait. We're going to have our little talk now." I informed him as I led him into my room and shut the door behind us. A fly buzzed past me as it came in through the balcony door_. Figures, it landed up on the wall. Oh well._

"We didn't…" he started before I cut him off.

"I get to talk first pretty boy. I give you the okay to hang with my sister and you come down the stairs with her looking like…I don't even want to think about it again!" I was holding back a strong urge to bite his head off.

"What do you want from me?" Edward asked as he seemed to drop his shoulders in defeat. "Once again, you are thinking that I am taking advantage of your sister and I'm not."

"Edward, I love my sister and if anything happens to her or anyone treats her like a toy and then tosses her aside; I will hunt them down like a grizzly bear and right now you're covered in honey!" I tried to make my point to him.

"Emmett," he sighed quietly. "I love your sister too. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and I assure you I have never been anything but respectful to her. I have never nor am I going to make her do anything she doesn't want to do. Bella knows what she wants and you can't make her go against that. She means everything to me. I don't know how else to assure you that I will always take care of your sister."

"Well, I can also assure you, that if you don't take care of her, I'll take care of you." I warned him. "My dad is Officer Swan and if I bring my little sister home hurt in any way my ass is grass and he's the lawn mower! Those were his exact words. I would definitely think that would include bringing her home fat and pregnant. I don't want to know how far you two have gone already but you better be sure to keep anything like that from happening!"

"We haven't…" Edward started to talk and I held up my hand to stop him.

"I don't want to know any details. You'll gross me out. Just…" I paused as I leaned down to grab something from under the bed. "Here." I threw a box across the room to him.

"What the…!" Edward caught it and then as he realized what it was, tossed it quickly back to me like a hot potato. "I don't think I'll need that…geez!"

"What is your problem? You have a specific preference? Ribbed is not your thing or what?" I threw the box back at him. "Just take it man."

"Emmett, why are you giving these to me? Do you want me to have sex with your sister?" Edward asked with a look of confusion and embarrassment on his face.

"You mean you haven't already?" I was sure that is what the sex hair was all about.

"No, we haven't!" he exclaimed as he threw the box back at me.

"Well then all the more reason for you to take it. You don't know what she's going to try and make you do, and you better be a freakin boy scout and be prepared!" I felt my voice rise as I threw the box at him harder.

"Damn it Emmett, this is not necessary." Edward pitched the box back at me hard.

"It sure as hell is!" I was shouting at this point as I aimed the next throw at his head. "Take the freakin box Edward." He was quick. He snatched the box before it even came close and sent it back like a fireball.

"No!" he yelled back at me.

"What the hell are you going to do? Don't you _dare_ consider using the pull out method. One of my friends is going by the title of Daddy now thanks to that bit of stupidity." I told him.

"Yeah, I agree that is a bad choice but when we decide we are…" I cut him off again.

"WHEN? You see, you're already considering it my man. Take the box!" I pulled back and let the box rip at him full force. Edward grabbed it but the cardboard was stressed from all the torture it was receiving and little foil wrappers went flying everywhere with one landing on Edward's head.

"Great Emmett! Just so you know, my dad's a doctor and he made me put one of these in my wallet three years ago. It's still there, I would have been prepared." He shook his head and the small discreet package fell to the floor.

"One…you only have one? _AND _it's three years old? Take some of these and put my mind at ease!" I shouted at his back as he made his way to the door.

"I promise you I will always take care of your sister Emmett, for as long as she'll let me." Edward called to me as he walked out the door.

I bent down to pick up the confetti of foil packages when Jasper's voice bellowed with laughter from behind me. "Emmett man, what are you doing counting your stash? Do you seriously think you're going to need all of that? No wait…I don't want to know the answer to that question. Forget I asked."

"I was trying to get Edward to take some." I grumbled while picking up packets that kept slipping from my overflowing hands. "A little help?"

"You think Edward needs some of these?" Jasper asked me looking surprised as he picked up the stray foil packages still scattered about the floor.

"Just throw them in here." I said setting a ball cap upside down on the floor dumping my handful into it. "I know that look when I see it. You can see it in their eyes whether they realize it or not. They are that attracted to each other. If it happens I want to make sure he takes all the precautions necessary with my sister."

"Just like I obviously see you are taking with my sister?" Jasper frowned.

"Well…I…yeah." I finally spit it out. "I do everything I can to take care of Rose. She means that much to me."

"That's good to hear Emmett." He slapped me on the shoulder. "Now get in the damn shower, you're making us late."

I took the fastest shower of my life. I felt a little better after having that talk with Edward. I think he got my point. _Hmmm…I should probably just make sure though_.

**APOV**

"Well, you girls are sure moving slow this morning." I commented noticing Rose and Bella yawning as they brushed out their hair.

"My body is aching from dancing and sleeping on that floor last night," complained Rose. "After all the dancing you did last night I thought you would be pretty tired out today too."

"Oh, that was nothing." I said. "I love to dance every chance I get. Then I used Jasper as a cushion on the floor. It was really comfortable."

"No wonder he was having a hard waking up this morning. I don't think he is used to being a mattress." Rose laughed as she finished getting dressed.

"Bella you're quiet today. Is everything okay with you and Emmett? You looked like you were going to tear each others throats out last night." I asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just Emmett being Emmett. I'm used to it." Bella said with a sigh. "My dad probably warned him to watch over me this summer and keep the wolves away."

"Wolves?" I wasn't sure what she meant.

"Yeah, you know…boys that are out on a hunt for fresh meat." Bella explained.

"That's funny! Edward is the farthest thing from a wolf that I've ever seen." I giggled at the thought, "But I have to tell you Bella, you sure would make a great vampire. He had one hell of a hickey on his neck!"

"You saw that?" Bella's face turned the deepest shade of red.

"I sure did, nice job! Looks like you had a fun walk." I smiled. "I'm not going to give you a hard time. I'm happy to see the both of you together. I think you're perfect for each other."

"Thanks Alice." Bella smiled at me.

"Okay, I'm all set. Let's get going," said Rose.

We fixed our usual breakfast of coffee and a Danish while we waited for Jack to pick us up. I watched Emmett and Edward as they walked in the kitchen door. Emmett reached a hand out to Edward and I think they made an official truce. I wasn't quite close enough to hear what they were talking about but they were both smiling. Emmett a bit more than Edward and I wondered what that was about. As Emmett pulled his hand away Edward jumped like something bit him and he was wearing a scowl on his face. I noticed that he shoved his hand in his pocket really quickly as Emmett walked away chuckling.

We hurried out front just in time to jump on the van. Jack was all smiles as usual.

"We will have a wonderful time out on the sea today boys and girls." He said.

"You're coming with us?" I asked. "That is great!"

"But of course my little Alice, who do you think will be driving the boat as you all enjoy each other's company? Captain Sparrow?" Jack answered with a hearty laugh.

"Ooh, Johnny Depp. I wouldn't complain one bit!" I swooned along with Rose and Bella. Jasper gave me a frowny face and he looked so cute! I'd push Johnny aside to get to Jasper any day. I climbed up into his lap for the rest of the ride to the boat, kissing him nonstop until we got to the dock.

"Umm, Jasper do you need me to peel her off of you or would you two rather just stay in the van?" Edward asked with a smirk.

"Oh..Uhh, Alice honey…umm" Jasper was breathless and dazed.

"We can pick up on this later." I winked at him and pulled his arm as I jumped up out of the seat. "Come sail away with me." Jasper smiled and stumbled after me out to the dock.

**EMPOV**

We all boarded and hurried to help Carlisle ready things for launch. Alice and Jasper were the last ones on. No wonder Alice was always so full of energy. She sucked the life out of Jasper with just a kiss! I'd hate to see what he looks like after they…_Whoa! Don't go there man! _Mental note to self; _keep her away from him before game day_!

It was a beautiful day. We spent time setting out our equipment for snorkeling and then changed into their swimsuits. I made sure I stayed behind a few minutes and quickly placed some surprises in the pockets of Edward's shirt.

"Emmett, what are you doing?" It was Edward. _Busted!_

"Uh, nothing man. Your shirt fell on the floor. I just fixed it for you." I said trying to hide my face so I wouldn't crack a smile.

"Yeah, right." He said as he grabbed his shirt then noticed the corner of foil poking out of the pocket. "Emmett!" I ran back out to the deck before he even finished saying my name.

"Is there a fire somewhere on board?" Carlisle asked looking curious.

"No, no, no I was just in a hurry to get back out here with everyone." I tried to sound calm until I hit a wet spot and slipped pulling Jasper down with me.

"Argh, Emmett! You better move your hand quick or you are going to lose it!" Jasper growled. Everyone else was roaring with laughter. Edward walked up shaking his head at the pile up.

"Oh, shit! Sorry man, get your legs off my arm so I can get up." I grumbled.

After we recovered and everyone finished laughing we relaxed on deck listening to Carlisle talk about some of the funny tours he had given. He even brought up the recent tour with the sorority. At least this time the girls were laughing about it.

We reached our stop and began getting ready to drop into the water. I watched as Edward tried to clear his snorkel and realized something was just inside the end of it. He looked around to make sure no one else was watching and pulled out a foil square. He tucked it into the pocket on his swim trunks and gave me an evil stare then continued making his way over to Bella. They joined hands with a smile and sunk under the water.

We spent the next few hours paired off together exploring the coral and the sea life. Even Carlisle and Esme joined us. It was nice to be able to get the chance to enjoy it and not to have to always be on watch like when we were working. Rose and I were the first ones back on the boat. Everyone else followed shortly after.

"Is anyone hungry yet?" Esme asked once we put our equipment away.

"Yes!" We all answered together.

"Good, Emmett I need your muscles. Come help me with the basket" Ordered Esme.

"Yes ma'am." I said jumping up to help without hesitation.

Esme had packed a huge picnic basket with sandwiches, salads, chips, pasta and desserts. I had no idea how she fit everything in there. She spread a table cloth onto a table that was set up on deck, probably by Jack when we were in the water. Once again, I took advantage of a perfect situation. I started passing out the napkins and plates to everyone. Then I sat back to watch.

Edward opened his napkin and felt something drop into his lap. He lifted his chin looking up into the sky and shook his head.

"Are you okay?" I heard Bella ask him.

"Oh, I am just peachy." He answered pursing his lips together as he glanced at me. He was very discrete about hiding the package.

We continued to eat and enjoy each other's company for a few more hours. Before long the breeze started to pick up. A few clouds had rolled into the area but nothing to worry about at the moment.

"I want everyone to be aware of the weather from now on." Carlisle pointed out. "We are into hurricane season and storms pop up quite a bit this time of year. There have also been some disturbances of weather off the African coast. I have been watching to make sure that if a tropical disturbance starts to head in our direction, we will be well prepared for it."

"Speaking of being prepared…" I said as I looked at Edward, "Do we need to be doing anything extra to help you?"

"Not at the moment Emmett. I know we didn't have anything to worry over last year but we never know and when it looks like we may have troubles, you all will have extra things to do to help." He answered. We all nodded letting Carlisle know we would do whatever we needed to.

After helping to clean up, we headed back to shore. More clouds were forming and we were starting to lose the sun. We knew there was going to be a chance of rain this evening and wanted to get back before it started.

I saw Edward putting his shoes on and remember what I had done earlier. He stopped to reach into each shoes after he felt something with his toes. Pulling out two more foil packets. I almost thought I heard a low rumbling growl coming from him. He never looked at me.

When we arrived back at the house it wasn't long before the sky let loose and a steady rain poured down. We all seemed very tired from all the fresh air and decided to head off to sleep. Rose helped me to make sure all the doors were locked. I didn't complain as everyone went back to the rooms we shared as couples. I figured I had given Edward enough backup in case he might need it. So I was going to do my best to give him a break. _I wonder if he found what I had tucked under his pillow?_

"EMMETT!" Bella's voice echoed though the halls. _Oh, oh…wrong pillow!_

**A/N: **

**Oh that darn Emmett, you just knew he would find a way to get Edward to take those little packages! You just gotta love him! How did it feel being a fly? **

**And that darn Breaking Dawn book…I was so wrapped up in it that I had to literally tear myself away to finish this up for you. Darn, it's after midnight too…just consider me writing on Pacific Time for tonight LOL! **

**Hope you enjoy the chapter and we know most of you will be on your Breaking Dawn high so hopefully you will be in a great mood and leave us more fun and encouraging reviews! **


	20. Fade To Black

Disclaimer: All characters from the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. Thank you for creating such fun personalities to play with! We hold no rights to them otherwise. _DARN!_

**A/N: **

**LMAO! Wow, you guys sure would love to give Emmett a spanking for his recent behavior! I promise you, Bella will get him back. **

**Thank you so very much for the encouraging reviews! It is a very chilly, windy, rainy Forks kind of day here today and that actually made writing this very easy. **

**Okay everyone, WARNING…be careful while eating or drinking as you read this story. We don't want anyone to choke from laughing. MelissaTheTwilightFan, this means you, LOL! And if you're more like birdee18…cross your legs tight, cause here we go again!**

_Previously:_

_When we arrived back at the house it wasn't long before the sky let loose and a steady rain poured down. We all seemed very tired from all the fresh air and decided to head off to sleep. Rose helped me to make sure all the doors were locked. I didn't complain as everyone went back to the rooms we shared as couples. I figured I had given Edward enough backup in case he might need it. So I was going to do my best to give him a break. I wonder if he found what I had tucked under his pillow?_

"_EMMETT!" Bella's voice echoed though the halls. Oh, oh…wrong pillow! _

**BPOV **

I was so angry to find out Emmett had been giving Edward little _gifts _all day. That was just absurd! I don't know how Edward could be so calm about all of this.

"How can he….that is just….Oh.My.God!" I couldn't even finish a sentence. "I try to get comfortable, put my hands under the pillow, and…WTF!"

Maybe having Edward's arms around me served more than one purpose. As we lay on his bed in the spoon position I could feel him giggling against my back. His arms wrapped tighter around me whenever I tried to get up.

"This is so not funny! I am going to shred him first, jump on the pieces and then burn him! Let me up Edward!" I was fuming.

"Bella honey, its okay. I think your brother is actually finding a way to let go of being your protector. Just let him do whatever he needs to feel better so we won't have him acting like your guard dog anymore. He really means well." His breath was warm against my neck as he tried to calm me down.

"Well, it would be nice to not have him giving us the death stare all the time." I started to calm down as I snuggled back against him feeling his arms relax a bit. "Mmm…this is nice."

"Bella…" Edward whispered in my ear as he trailed kisses down my neck. "I love you."

"Oh Edward," I rolled onto my back so I could look up into his eyes. "I love you too."

I pulled his lips down to mine and kissed him with enough passion to show him exactly how much I meant those words. My fingers trailed through his unruly bronze hair as he let his hand slide down and pull me onto my side so we were facing each other. Our kisses became more intense as I draped my leg over his hip pressing myself into him. The sound of the pouring rain on the roof intensified our mood.

"Ahhh, you're going to drive me crazy aren't you?" He asked then pulled me on top of his chest.

I took advantage of having the upper hand and yanked both of his arms up over his head as my lips found their way down his neck to his collar bone.

"Mmm…" I couldn't even talk as I sucked on his neck and then let my tongue trail its way back up to his lips. The rest of my body rubbed seductively against him.

"Yes, you are definitely driving me crazy." He panted and rolled us over quickly so I was now on the bottom. He stared deeply into my eyes.

"Umm…Edward…you seem very, very happy to be on top." I blushed up at him wiggling to adjust where the hardness was pushing into my groin.

"Oh geez, I am so sorry," He reached down and I felt him fumble in his pants. I felt myself blush even more, if at all possible, as he pulled his hand up holding something in front of me. "Pocket knife."

"That's a pretty big knife you got there." I said and burst into laughter. His eyebrows furrowed together as he gave me a warning look.

"Do I scare you?" He asked. His voice became very sultry.

"The only thing I'm scared of is losing you." My eyes burned deep into his soul as these words left my mouth.

Edward looked down at me and opened his mouth to say something but instead his lips crashed into mine. I felt every bit of his desire grow as we hungrily explored each others mouths. Our tongues stroked each other like we couldn't get enough and we were gasping for air as his kisses moved to my cheeks, chin, nose, eyes and forehead.

"Bella, you will never lose me. I will never let you go." Edward wrapped his arms around me very securely as we rolled to the side holding each other tight.

"Wait" I said pressing him onto his back and positioning myself on top of him once more. "You didn't put that pocket knife back in your pants again did you?"

"No Love, _THAT_ would be me." He smirked and I saw a blush brighten _his_ cheeks this time.

As we giggled together I rolled off of him too late to realize there was no longer a bed beneath me. Edward grabbed for me quickly and I'm not sure how he was able to move so fast, but he pulled me into him as we both fell together. I was cushion from hitting the hard floor as I landed on top of him.

"Uhh…" he groaned when his back hit the floor. His arms never let loose of their hold on me.

"Edward! Oh my gosh! I am so sorry. Are you okay?" I knew it had to hurt falling from the high bed without being able to brace himself. He didn't answer and his arms stayed firmly around me. "Edward? Open your eyes? Are you okay?"

"I think…I need…mouth to mouth." He whispered and his mouth curled up into that sexy crooked smile.

"Whatever you need." I answered him. I gladly assaulted his lips with mine and ran my fingers through his hair. His hands slid down my back and pulled my hips into him. _No __**that**__ is not a pocket knife. _

"Bella, you realize you're giving me sex hair?" He breathed heavily against my neck.

"Oh bite me." I moaned as I tried to sound sassy.

"Whatever you want." He growled letting his teeth graze my neck and collarbone before I felt the pressure of his mouth sucking on my skin. It felt so good.

"Edwa…ohh!" my hands still in his hair, pulled his head tight against me as I felt the tingles trail all the way through my body to my toes.

I couldn't help but grind myself into him. His hands helped to move my hips back and forth. I saw the glazed look in his eyes as he looked back up at me. I knew my eyes must have looked the same way to him. Lightning flash above us through the skylight and we could feel the rumble of thunder soon after.

"We need to get somewhere more comfortable." Edward said. He sat us up together and I heard a small groan.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked with concern in my voice.

"I guess my back is a bit sore from hitting the floor." He grimaced as he moved.

"Let me help you up." I offered as I stood up in front of him pulling his arms.

I tugged hard bracing myself to pull up his weight. I didn't count on him being able to get up so quickly and as I pulled him against me I lost my balance tripping backward till we fell into the wall.

"Oh Bella, did you bump your head? I slid my arm behind you but I should have been more careful that you didn't hit your head." He looked at me with worried eyes.

"I'm okay, really." I said. I was pressed against the wall with his arm around the small of my back. "I need to put on something more comfortable. Will you help me get out of these clothes?"

His response was like a deep growl in his chest as his eyes raked over my body. Placing his hands down at his sides he moved them over the outside of my thigh and very slowly dragged them up to my waist. He stared into my eyes as I felt his fingers brush my skin while he slowly dragged the bottom of my shirt up to just below my bra. A small squeak escaped my lips as his hands continued brushing up the front of my chest until my shirt was lifted over my head and dropped to the floor. His eyes roamed down to my lacy bra and I heard a hitch in his breath when he positioned his hands over the clasp.

"May I?" He asked looking back at my smiling face.

"Please" I whispered as I grabbed onto his hips with both hands to steady my weakening legs.

I watched his face when I felt the clasp release. His eyes closed slowly and his breathing became shaky as his hands moved over my swells. He must have been able to feel the beat of my heart as it thundered loudly in my ears. Almost louder than the thunder outside.

As he trailed his hands back down my stomach my body trembled under his touch. I know I was breathing loudly in anticipation of his next movement. When his fingers slipped into the waist band of my shorts, my grip tightened on his hips and I pulled him into me trapping his hands in place.

"Now you're driving _me_ crazy Edward." I panted and urged his lips down to mine. His kiss was like a firework of passion. My hands moved past his hips and grabbed his backside making him jump.

"Mmm…Bella, I can't move my hands." He mumbled between kisses. "I want to see the rest of your beautiful body."

I let my hold on him loosen moving my hands up to his shoulders. He slid his hands between my shorts and my panties letting them glide very slowly down the front of my pelvis to the inside of my thighs as my shorts dropped to the floor. His fingers drifting back up the way they came and then across my stomach and around to my back.

"Oh…please…stop…teasing me." I groaned. "You have no idea what's going through my mind right now."

"I know what's going through my mind." His glazed eyes sparkled with desire.

I trembled as his hands slid down my back and into my panties cupping my bottom and pulling me up to his waist. I wrapped my legs around him as my hands found their favorite place in his hair. When I pulled his face to mine his lips brushed my mouth and he slid his tongue along my jaw, down my neck and over my chest to my very perky buds. He circled his tongue around each of them and smiled as I squirmed in his arms. We were staring into each other's eyes when the next burst of lightning flashed, casting a pale glow over his face. _Whoa, Vampire!_

"So, are you sleeping like this?" He asked with a smirk.

"Umm…I was hoping to borrow another one of your shirts." I said as I fluttered my lashes at him.

"Well, I have some in the dresser. If you like I can get one for you." He scanned my body as he held me almost naked against the wall.

"Actually, I would rather have this one." I answered pulling at the shirt he was wearing.

"That means I would have to put you down. You better hold on tight." I wrapped my arms around his neck as he whirled me around.

He quickly moved to the bed and bent forward laying me carefully on my back. His hands were now pressed into the bed on each side of my shoulders. Those gorgeous, emerald green eyes never breaking contact with mine. My hands grabbed the hem of his shirt and I slipped my fingers underneath. While I slowly slid my hands up his abs and across his chest he reached his arms up so I could pull the shirt over his head. Dropping it on the bed next to me, I grabbed his shoulders and urged him down until his bare chest was pressing against mine.

"Edward, you're so warm." I breathed into his ear then ran my tongue along it. His hands roamed up my sides leaving a trail of Goosebumps as he pulled us both further up onto the bed. "Please kiss me." I begged him.

"I won't stop until I take your breath away." He moaned and then pressed his lips to mine as lightning and thunder rumbled loudly all around us.

I almost didn't notice the bedside lamp blink out and then come back on a moment later. I was lost in the passion as our bodies rubbed against each other and our hands roamed hungrily. A few minutes later lightning stuck again causing a loud crack, hum and popping sound from a transformer somewhere near by. Suddenly we were enveloped in darkness. Edward's lips pulled away from mine when we heard a loud scream. I jumped beneath him and he pulled us both up from the bed.

"ALICE!" We shouted together.

"Oh my gosh! Something's wrong." I trembled as Edward pulled away from me.

"Here put this on!" He put his shirt in my hands then ran over to the window. "And make sure it's not inside out."

I pulled my shorts back on while Edward grabbed a new shirt out of his drawer. Then he came back over to me wrapping his arm around my waist and we ran out to the hall and down the stairs. The sound of quickly approaching foot fall alerted us just before we literally ran into Rose and Emmett.

"Someone help me!" Alice's voice cried from the direction of Jasper's room.

**JPOV**

The sound of the rain was very calming. I tried hard to focus on that as Alice straddled my hips. It felt like heaven.

"How does that feel? Am I rubbing the right spot?" She asked. Her voice was like the sound of angels and the touch of her hands, like an electric current to every part of my body.

I had pulled a muscle in my back while I was helping to move some equipment on the boat. I think Emmett was actually giving me the heavy end on purpose. I'm not complaining anymore though. Lying on your stomach in bed, with a beautiful pixie on top of you massaging your back, is quite an enjoyable experience.

"Mmm…it feels wonderful, thank you." I said. My eyes were closed but I was picturing Alice in her silky pajamas above me. "Can I turn over now, so I can look at you?"

"I just knew you were going to ask me that." She giggled.

"How would you know that?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, your breathing is getting heavier and I would imagine the way you're shifting around underneath me, that there's more of a strain on your front side then there is on your back at this point." Her giggles turned into laughter as I turned sideways tipping her off of me and spun around to face her.

"Alice, you little temptress, you knew the way you were rubbing my back was going to get other things started didn't you?" I accused her.

"Yes, I was definitely hoping it would." She almost purred at me. Then pushing me onto my back she straddled my waist again and brought her warm lips to my ear. "Do you like what I'm wearing?"

"Almost as much as I like what is underneath what you are wearing." I growled back into her ear. "Let me see you better."

Alice hopped up standing over me with her legs still straddling at my chest. I pulled myself up slightly so I could run my hands up her legs. She was wearing a short, silky, black, babydoll pajama set. The top barely covering the matching black panties underneath. From my privileged view I was able to see up underneath the top. _Very nice_.

"Jazz are you peaking up my top?" Alice scolded me.

"I'm just admiring the view honey." I said with a big grin. "Now come back down here so I can kiss your beautiful lips."

Alice does things so unexpectedly. I was not ready for her to take a small bounce like she was on a trampoline and then just drop down to her knees on the bed. At first I was expecting her slam into me when she landed but she was so graceful. After her knees hit the bed her body slid up my chest and her forehead was pressed to mine in one smooth movement.

"You are simply amazing." I mused. Then ever so gently placed my arms around her back and pressed my lips to hers.

The rain picked up outside along with thunder and lightning. Each boom of thunder made Alice jump in my arms. She was not a big fan of thunderstorms. I started paying attention to the lightning and I knew to hold her tighter after the flash. The sound of thunder came sooner and sooner each time. This meant the storm was getting closer.

"Oh, it's getting closer isn't it?" Alice whimpered. "I'm scared something is going to happen."

"Alice, I won't ever let anything happen to you. I will keep you safe, don't worry." I tried to calm her.

She rolled off the top of me and we lay facing the window. Alice pressed her back into my chest and I held her securely against myself. I kissed her neck as I tried to help her relax. It seemed to work until the next rumble of thunder and lightning made the light flicker on and off on the nightstand. I heard a small squeak escape Alice's lips then a nervous giggle.

"I have you baby, you're okay." I murmured into her ear. "I'm going to look outside and see how bad it is out there. Stay right here okay?"

"I am not going anywhere!" Alice scramble under the blankets pulling them up so only her eyes were showing. She looked so cute.

I took the few steps over to the window and peered out to see the wind blowing strong enough to bend the trees as it passed through. The lightning show was spectacular as it lit up the sky to show the menacing clouds moving quickly past. I was glad we made sure to help Carlisle secure the boat extra well after we docked today. I don't think even he knew the storms would be so strong tonight. I glanced back at Alice giving her a wink.

"Be careful by that window Jazz!" she cautioned me. "Hurry back to bed."

"Okay, okay I will be right there." I said as I turned to look out the window once more.

Something drew my eyes to a transformer sitting on a pole just outside of the yard. It seemed to sparkle with static. I had never seen that before. In the next moment, lightning stuck again causing a loud crack, hum, and popping sound. Then the whitest, brightest light I had ever seen flashed outward from the transformer just before everything became dark.

"Ahhh!" I groaned as I felt my eyes sting.

My hands went straight to my face and I dropped to the floor. All I could see was colored lights and darkness. The sound of Alice's blood curdling scream filled my ears and I heard her scramble off the bed then drape herself over the top of me.

"Alice, I can't see." The words barely leaving my mouth. I wasn't even sure at first if she heard me.

"Jasper," she sobbed at my ear then yelled toward the door. "Someone help me!"

Alice's arms were tightly around me as she pulled my head up against her chest and rocked me back and forth kissing the top of my head. I could feel her tears soaking my hair. I just couldn't pull my hands away from my eyes. I wanted to make the stinging pain go away. I heard the loud sounds of foot fall vibrating the floor and the door burst open somewhere behind us.

"Al where are you? What's wrong?" Edward sounded frantic as he searched the darkness for Alice.

"Jazz? What the hell is going on? I can't see shit in here, or anywhere else in the house dammit!" Emmett grumbled in frustration.

"We're over here," Alice sobbed louder. "On the floor, by the window."

"Here, I found a flashlight in the hall closet." Rosalie said breathlessly.

I 'm sure they turned it on to find their way over to us but couldn't see any light except for the continuing twinkles of color behind my eyelids.

"Alice, Oh my god! Jasper are you okay?" Edward asked. "What happened?"

"He, he…" Alice was finding it hard to speak between her sobs. Her arms only slackened the littlest bit to let me sit up.

"I went to look out the window at the storm and of course I had to be staring at the transformer when lightning hit it. It was the brightest white I had even seen!" I explained. "I shut my eyes pretty quick, but they still hurt like hell now."

"Shit! We need to call Carlisle." Emmett scrambled for the phone. "Son of a …" he slammed it back onto the nightstand. "Of course, it's dead."

"Alice, he'll be okay." Edward assured her. "It was like a giant camera going off in his face. It will just take a little while for him to be able to open his eyes."

"Let's all go down to the media room. There are candles down there and we can hang out together and wait out the storm." Rose suggested.

"Come here Jasper, you big baby, I'll carry your sorry ass down there." I felt Emmett tugged me out of Alice's arms.

"Hey, watch your hands Romeo!" I said firmly.

"You be careful with him Emmett!" Alice threatened. I even thought I felt a slight tremble from Emmett and knew she must have given him her most evil look. She would be following right behind us no doubt.

We made it down the stairs and to the couch. Emmett set me down carefully and Alice was right there guiding my head down into her lap.

"Thanks baby." I said, and then heard two voices answer me at once.

"You're welcome." It was Alice and Emmett. Everyone including me burst out laughing. Emmett must have been 3 shades of red.

"Here Jasper, take these. I have water too." Rosalie placed two pills in my hand and then a glass. "You're going to have a headache and this will help."

"Alice, put this cold washcloth over his eyes." I heard Bella say and moments later felt coolness on my forehead as she placed the cloth there first. "Jasper, you can put your hands down now."

I moved my hands away from my eyes Alice slid the cloth in their place. It felt very soothing.

"I brought down the pillows and blankets so we can get comfortable." Emmett announced. "Jazz, looks like you're already comfortable."

"Very much." I told him with a smile. I reached my hand up to find Alice's face and felt her hand pull my fingers to her lips.

"There, the candles are lit. We should be all set for the rest of the night." I heard Bella say.

Thunder continued to rumble as the rain poured down steady outside. Once again I let the calming feeling wash over me. I think a lot of that was due in part to the feeling of Alice stroking her fingers through my hair and humming quietly as she did so.

"Alice…" I whispered so only she could hear. I felt the warmth of her face as she dropped her head down close to mine. "I want to kiss you."

Her lips were so soft as she leaned herself into me. I brought my arm up and wrapped it around her neck. I didn't want her lips to leave mine until I was sure I could melt away the fear I still felt in her tense little body.

"I'm okay baby. You can relax now." I whispered between kisses.

"I was so scared Jasper. I don't like seeing you hurt. I felt helpless." She whispered back to me as her lips trembled.

I pulled her mouth tighter into mine and stroked my tongue across her lips. She opened her mouth to me immediately and I felt her need wash over like a tidal wave. Alice meant so much to me and in that moment I felt how much she needed me too. She was scared of losing me and I knew just what to say to relax her fears.

I pulled back slightly letting my lips brush hers as I told her, "I love you Alice."

**A/N:**

**Awww, don't you just love Jasper! He is such a sweetie. **

**Once again poor Edward and Bella got sidetracked. I guess even Mother Nature wants in on the game!**

**Bella hasn't given up on getting even with Emmett! You will have to stick around to see where that goes. **

**Edward just has a way of making her forget things for the moment. **

**Umm…Edward, feel free to try that on me anytime!**

**I apologize for any grammar or wording issues. My beta partner was unavailable and I may have missed some mistakes as I read over it. **

**So please leave your review after the tone…**

**BEEEEEEEEEP **


	21. Foiled Again

Disclaimer: The characters from the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. Thank you for creating such fun personalities to play with! We hold no rights to them otherwise. _DARN!_

**A/N: **

**Thank you for the reviews!! Everyone was so worried about Jasper. I had to give him some extra attention since he seems to be the quietest one in this story. I am glad that I was able to catch bringmeback and serenalynn023 by surprise last chapter. Oh and serenalynn023...only in fanfic can Edward and Bella be interrupted so many times LOL! Seriously though, it will be well worth the torment when they have their moment. **

**Staceymarie195, you had me rethinking the word transformer! But yes, it is the correct word (not a transformer like in the Shia LaBeouf movie though) if you look on power line poles you will see the big cylinder shaped metal thingy up there. That is a transformer. They are pretty loud when they go out or get hit by lightning. Quite the light show actually. **

**Well, on to the good stuff…**

_Previously:_

_I pulled her mouth tighter into mine and stroked my tongue across her lips. She opened her mouth to me immediately and I felt her need wash over like a tidal wave. Alice meant so much to me and in that moment I felt how much she needed me too. She was scared of losing me and I knew just what to say to relax her fears._

_I pulled back slightly letting my lips brush hers as I told her, "I love you Alice."_

**BPOV**

I watched as Alice and Jasper clung tightly to each other on the couch. After a long kiss, they whispered quietly together. Something that Jasper said brought tears to her eyes. He must have known because his hands carefully touched her face as he brushed the tears away. Alice placed her hands over Jasper's and pulled them to her lips. I heard her next words as she leaned into him. _Jasper, I love too._

"Bella, are you comfortable?" Edward asked as he leaned his head against my shoulder. He had piled a bunch of pillows on the floor for us to lie on as we snuggled up together.

"Very much, thank you." I answered him as I pressed my back against his chest.

We had opened some windows to let in a breeze and the sound of the rain was a very relaxing bonus. If it weren't for the situation, the flickering candle light would have made this a very romantic evening. Edward's arm was securely around my waist and I couldn't help but feel safe. We all slowly drifted off to sleep.

When we awoke the next morning our attention was on Jasper. Everyone was anxious to know if his eye sight improved. Alice warned him not to try and open his eyes yet until Carlisle arrived. Rose was able to reach him on her cell phone and he was coming right over. We still had no electricity which was not a good thing when you were used to having coffee in the morning. Edward and Emmett decided to go outside to check around the house for any wind damage. It was two minutes later when Carlisle arrived.

"Rosalie, I am so glad that you were able to reach me this morning. I wish I could have known somehow last night." Carlisle was frustrated. "It seems the entire area is without power."

"It's okay; we know you would have been here if you knew. We made sure Jasper was comfortable." Rose said.

"Well, let me take a look." Carlisle walked over to the couch and placed his hand on Jasper's arm. "Jasper, how are you feeling this morning?"

"A bit uncomfortable, but better than I was last night." He answered and then said with a smile, "Alice wouldn't let me try to open my eyes this morning."

"It must be nice to have someone to take care of you like Alice." Carlisle smiled at her as he said this.

"You can check him out now Doc." She said. "I just know he'll be okay, but I would like your second opinion."

"Well gee Alice, I'll try not to let you down." Said Carlisle, as we all laughed.

He proceeded to listen to Jasper's version of events and check him over. Carlisle spent many years as a doctor before finally settling down in Key West with Esme. They were able to retire at a younger age. This gave them the opportunity to start their tour boat and tourist shop after taking a year off to relax. It was something they always wanted to do and they enjoy it very much.

Rose and I went into the kitchen to find something to fix for breakfast. I thought I could smell coffee but I wasn't sure where it could possible be coming from.

"Do you smell that?" Asked Rose. "Am I dreaming or is someone magically making coffee? It smells like heaven."

"No, I smell it too. It's coming from outside." I looked at Rose and we both headed to the patio.

Standing in front of the gas grill was Emmett. The biggest grin plastered on his face with the smell of coffee all around him.

"Emmett, are you actually making coffee?" I asked. "How are you doing that?"

"Well, me and Eddie Spaghetti were cleaning up the yard a bit and when we opened the shed to get out the nets to clean the pool, I noticed some camping supplies. There was a stove top percolator and I figured we could just use it on the gas grill to make some coffee. It works!" He nodded his head in satisfaction.

"Wow, sometimes you amaze me Emm. I don't know how you do it but you still amaze me." I laughed then gave him a serious look. "And his name is Edward. Maybe you can try real hard to remember that next time." We stared each other down for a few seconds.

"Sure, sure" He said and turned his attention to Rose. I looked around for Edward and saw him skimming the pool.

"Oh pool boy, you missed a few leaves." I giggled as I walked over to him.

"You should have seen how many were in here to start with!" He smiled at me then set down the net. "Is the coffee ready yet?"

"I think so. You have a leaf in your hair." I said as I reached up to take it out. I stared into his eyes then gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Let's get a cup."

"Hey, not so fast!" He growled and pulled me into him. His lips found mine and gave me a nice, long kiss. I thought I heard someone clear their throat, the sound of a slap and Emmett say _ouch!_ This made both me and Edward giggle.

"Thank you Rose!" I yelled over to her.

"It was my pleasure." She laughed.

"What the flip! Let's all gang up on Emmett. I see how you are." Emmett groveled. "See if I ever save you from the caffeine demons again!"

"Yum, coffee. Let's get some before he drinks it all." I smiled at Edward and we hurried to the patio hand in hand.

Edward and I fixed our cups and then filled three more to take into the house. We gave a cup to Alice, Carlisle and Jasper.

"Thank You!" Squeaked Alice. "How did you make coffee with no electricity?"

"This is really good!" Said Jasper carefully drinking from his cup.

We explained how Emmett came up with the idea and Carlisle was impressed. He then told us that Jasper was going to be just fine and that his eyes would be back to normal in the next day or two. Jasper was wearing a pair of sunglasses and needed to keep them on until his eyes were less sensitive. He was able to see, but since his eyes were still very dry it was uncomfortable to keep them open for a long period of time. Alice volunteered to be his seeing-eye dog so to speak. Emmett and Rose walked in quietly and listened in.

"We are not going to be able to do a lot with the power out like it is. Edward, I would like you and Emmett to come out to the boat with me and we can do any necessary work there. We won't be taking out the tour today, so we will need to reschedule them. Bella, if you and Rose can go in to the shop to help Esme for a few hours that will be wonderful. It will be a short workday. You kids can then come back and enjoy the pool if you would like. Esme suggested we should cook up some of the steaks that are in the freezer for dinner. We don't know how long the power will be out and we don't want any of the food to go bad. There is a generator out back in the storage shed in case we will need it tonight. Then you kids will be on your own again for one more night." Carlisle informed us. "I am continuing to keep an eye on the upcoming weather. It looks like that tropical depression is still heading in our direction. We will know tonight if it strengthens into a tropical storm. If we end up dealing with a hurricane, it will put last night's storm to shame!"

"Is there anything we need to do to prepare?" I asked.

"There are a couple big totes in the kitchen pantry with Hurricane emergency written on them. They should be stocked with things we would need. Esme is real good about staying up on that kind of stuff." Carlisle smiled. "We will bring back some cases of water after we leave the boat today. Other than that, it's a wait and watch game."

"What can we do here to help today?" Asked Alice.

"The workers will be here to finish up the roof. They should be done today. Just keep an eye on things and take care of Jasper. That should be a big enough job." He laughed. "If there are any problems at all you can reach me on my cell phone or just call the boat. I will have Jack pick up some eye drops and bring them to you on his way out to the boat. Make sure Jasper uses them 3 times a day for now."

"Okay. I think I can handle it." Alice nodded and Jasper smiled kissing her on the head.

"Thanks Carlisle." Jasper said.

"You're welcome. If everyone else is ready to go you can meet me out by the car." Carlisle said as he got up and exited the room.

"Hey Alice, make sure Mr. Magoo doesn't wander out into traffic while we're gone." Emmett laughed loudly at Jasper, who managed to very accurately nail him with a pillow.

"Damn! How can you tell where I am with your eyes closed?" Emmett asked confused.

"I can sense the presence of everyone around me Emmett. I just aimed for the biggest ego in the room." Jasper laughed back at him and we all joined in. Even Emmett had to laugh.

Alice hugged me and Edward before we left. We followed Rose and Emmett out to the car where Carlisle was waiting. When he dropped me and Rose off at the shop Edward gave me a chaste kiss before I left the car. I watched them drive off and hurried in to see what needed to be done. Esme was getting things ready to open up for the day.

"We are going to open up for a half of a day today. Since there is no power we will have to cash out the customers and write our own receipts. Tourists usually wander around the open shops on days like this." Esme told us.

The day went by rather quickly. We stayed busy straightening racks and helping customers. Being without power didn't seem to slow down business too much. Esme drove us back to the house when we were finished and we helped her get things ready for dinner. Alice joined us in the kitchen while Jasper was taking a nap. She had managed to get him up to his bedroom.

"How is he doing?" Esme asked.

"He's getting better. I don't think he slept well last night so he's really tired. I made him take a nap." Alice answered.

"Even if he wasn't tired he would have taken a nap if you told him too." Rose giggled. "He's wrapped around your little finger Alice."

"Kind of cute isn't it?" Alice agreed with her.

"Carlisle was like that when we were going out." Esme admitted and giggled with us. "Actually, he is still like that. It seems you girls have won over the hearts of these boys."

"I can get Emmett to do anything as long as I let him think it was his idea to begin with." Rose smirked.

"You figured that out pretty quick!" I admired her ability to read my brother. Rose was a great match for him.

"I don't think I've ever seen Edward so happy." Alice smiled me. "Did you two break free from your virgin status yet?"

"ALICE!" Rose, Esme and I all shrieked at same time.

"What? He's my brother after all. I'm not asking for details. It's just that I'm aware of his history or the lack there of. I couldn't help but ask." She shrugged her shoulders at us. "I was wondering if you two have been able to shake off Emmett long enough to kill some of that heated tension that surrounds you two."

"Heated tension? Is that something visible?" I knew without a doubt I was blushing by now.

"Well, Bella sweetheart," Esme joined in. "It is quite obvious even to me, that you are both very smitten with each other. I often wonder if you even notice that anyone else is in a room besides the two of you."

"Oh, umm…Edward is more wonderful than anyone I ever met. And yes Alice, we are still holding our status. Edward said Emmett is trying to relax to the idea of us as a couple but he is still worried and is making sure that if we decide to change our status, we…umm…take proper measures. He has been very pushy about giving Edward some small reminders, if you know what I mean." I felt funny talking about this in front of Esme. I have been meaning to get back at Emmett for that and I just thought of a great idea of how to do it.

"Girls I know what teenagers are like. Just always remember to stay safe." Esme said to us. We nodded at her as she gave us each a hug. "Now Rose heat up the grill and put these potatoes on so they will start baking. Bella, you can fix up a big salad. Alice, cut up the fresh fruit and I will marinate the steaks." We continued to work on dinner, talk and laugh for the next half hour.

Alice took a break to go up and check on Jasper and I took a moment to run up to Edward's room. I found the rather large stash of small foil packages that accumulated from my brother hiding them in almost everything Edward owned. I gathered them all together in an extra pillow case and carried them down to Emmett's room. I had to work quickly before he returned.

The boys arrived home not long after. They carried in 10 cases of water and stacked them in the back of the pantry. Along with all the canned goods and non-perishables, we were pretty much set with hurricane supplies. When they went to take a shower before dinner, I helped set the table on the patio while Esme lit candles all around. Alice helped Jasper outside. He was able to keep his eyes open as long as he kept the sunglasses on. I think the two of them enjoyed having an excuse to keep their hands on each other all the time. No one even tried to give them a hard time about it. They sat in one of the lounge chairs by the pool. I walked over to the edge of the pool and sat down letting my legs dangle in the water.

"Don't fall in Bella" Emmett laughed as he snuck up behind me and pretended to push me in.

"Grrr" I growled at him as he walked away and sat with Rose.

"Hello my love." Edward slid down beside me and grabbed my hand. "I would have saved you."

"I know." I smiled at him, lost in his gorgeous green eyes.

"Still want to swim tonight?" He asked. "The water feels nice."

"I'm looking forward to it. It'll be pretty dark out here though with no power." I said.

"That should make it more fun." He smirked then pulled me closer to him.

"Dinner's ready!" Esme's cheerful voice sounded from the patio. Carlisle was right there at her side helping her put the steaks on a plate. He watched her work with such admiration in his eyes. _Yup, he was wrapped around her finger for sure!_

We gathered around the table and had a very pleasant dinner together. The food was delicious and everyone talked and laughed about our time here so far. Edward sat next to me and made sure to place his hand on my thigh whenever possible. I enjoyed doing the same back to him. I made sure to slide my hand as high up on his thigh as I could just to see him jump. I was glad no one else noticed. After dinner we had fruit with dip for dessert. I wasn't sure if I could eat another bite. We all help to clean up as the sun began to set.

"They have been working on the power lines and should have them working again in our area sometime this evening." Carlisle told us. "We shouldn't need to pull out the generator."

"If it doesn't come on before morning, I can pull it out and get it set up." Emmett said.

"Thanks Emmett. We are off to stay one more night with our friends but we will be back tomorrow. The roof is fixed and you can all feel free to move back to your rooms if you would like. I will leave that up to you." Esme smiled at us all as her and Carlisle said goodbye.

"I'm going to get my bathing suit on. You better hurry if you want to join me." I said and ran for my bedroom before Edward realized what I said. He caught up with me at the top of the stairs and followed me into my room. "Edward, the girls will be in here in just a minute!"

"You said to hurry if I wanted to join you." He looked at me sweetly and placed his hands on my hips pushing me toward a bed.

"I meant in the…" It was hard to talk with him kissing my neck. He dipped me down till I was lying on the bed and he was over the top of me. "…in the pool. Oh hell!" I gave into him and kissed him back passionately, our arms and legs getting tangled up with each other.

"Edward Anthony, get off of my bed! Use Bella's bed if you're going to be doing that stuff." Alice's voice made him jump. Her and Rose laughed uncontrollably at him.

"Bella," He whispered and gave me a wink. "Hurry up and move out of the way."

I rolled off the bed quickly as I watched Edward get up in a flash and grab Alice by the waist. She screamed with laughter when he dove back onto the bed with her. Then he hopped up quickly and kept jumping on the bed so Alice was being bounced all over.

"Come on pixie, can't you get up?" He was laughing as he watched his sister try to sit up. She was laughing as she crawled toward Edward trying tackle him by his legs. He was too quick. He jumped over the top of her and landed on the other end of the bed.

"Edward you're messing up my bed!" She shouted between the laughter. "Stop, please!"

He plopped down on the bed sitting next to her and gave her a big hug. "Love you Alice"

"You're lucky I love you too." She said sticking tongue out at him. "Now go play with Bella!"

"Gladly!" He smiled a devilish grin as he walked up and kissed me sweetly on the lips. "I'll meet you by the pool." I watched him as he left the room.

"Cute little butt he's got there." Rose commented and we all burst out laughing again.

"Where are you girls sleeping tonight?" Alice asked.

"I'll be with Emmett of course." Rose winked.

"I'm staying with Edward again." I answered shyly.

"Well, I will be with Jasper too, but I will probably have him sleep in here with me then. I really don't want to sleep in his room again just yet. I'm still creeped out since the accident." Alice shivered.

"No problem Alice. Just stay on your own bed though okay?" Rose and I giggled at her.

We changed into our swimsuits and met the boys out back. They had moved Esme's candles so they were positioned around the pool. It felt rather romantic except for the two year olds playing in the pool. Emmett and Edward were racing laps and Jasper was standing by the ladder waiting for them to finish. I couldn't help but smile at the whole scene.

"Jasper honey, why is your bathing suit on inside out?" Alice asked him.

"Emmett you suck! You told me it looked fine. I thought it felt funny!" Jasper yelled.

"You have known me for how long? And you are actually going to trust me to tell you if your clothes are inside out?" Emmett roared with laughter until Edward jumped on his back and pushed him under the water.

Their race turned into a chase around the pool. Once again, Edward was just too fast to be caught. _I bet it wouldn't be hard for me to catch him._ Alice hugged Jasper and helped him into the pool with her. They tried to stay in the corner away from all the splashing. Rose winked at me and headed over toward Emmett causing him to stop and stare at her as she removed the robe that covered her swimsuit. Or what little of a swimsuit there was.

I walked over to Edward and he waited by the shallow side of the pool for me to get in. I sat down on the edge and dangled my feet in the water as our eyes lock. Moving in front of me, he grabbed both of my legs and I wrapped them around him. I put my arms around his neck as he pulled me into the water and I slid down around his waist. His arms wrapped around the small of my back.

"Hold on tight." He told me as he walked us backward toward the deep end. The warm water felt like silk around our bodies. His hands slipped down until they were cupping my bottom and then he moved them back up to the middle of my back and pulled me tightly into him. I didn't even realize at first that Edward was holding me as he tread water in the deep end. He let go of me when he needed to use his arms to keep us afloat. It was fun. I had my own personal air mattress, except it was way better! I breathed in his ear and started kissing the top of his neck.

"Bella, it's getting hard to concentrate." Edward gasped.

"You don't like when I do this?" I asked him innocently.

"Oh, I do, but I'm trying to hold us both up." He started panting as I licked the lobe of his ear.

"You're doing fine." I whispered then traced my tongue down his jaw line.

"Bell…" That was all he was able to get out before we sank like a rock.

I let loose from Edward when I realized what was going on and then felt him tug me back up from under the water. I must have looked like Cousin It when I lifted my head up because my long hair was hanging in front of my face.

"Bella are you all right?" He giggled as he moved my hair out of my eyes. "I tried to warn you, I'm sorry."

My lips were pursed but not out of anger. I had a mouth full of water and I spit it into his face as I started laughing and tried to swim away from him. He gave me a head start then caught up with me back at the shallow end of the pool. We tossed a beach ball around for a while till the candles started burning out. Then everyone dried off and heading back in to get some sleep. We were pretty worn out from not sleeping well last night and the water just made us even more tired.

I stopped at the bathroom to change into underwear and one of Edward's shirts. He was getting changed as I sat on his bed and tried to brush out my hair. I almost gave up because I was just too tired to get out all the tangles.

"Let me help you." He said as he slid on the bed behind me and took the brush from my hands.

He pulled us both back to the middle of the bed and I sat between his outstretched legs. I closed my eyes as he carefully brushed my hair. It was so relaxing; I felt my head starting to nod. I don't remember him finishing. I was barely aware of Edward laying on his back and carefully pulling me down next to him. I curled up against him and draped my arm over his chest as he held me tight. He turned his face to mine and kissed my lips softly.

"Goodnight my love." He whispered.

"Mmm…" I started drifting off to sleep. I barely noticed that the electricity came back on until I heard someone shout my name. "Oh yeah, it must have worked." I smiled at Edward's puzzled expression.

**EMPOV**

I was lying on the bed waiting for Rose to join me. She always had to make sure she looked just right even before she went to sleep. Although, I hadn't planned on letting her go to sleep just yet.

"Come on baby, you already look perfect." I whined.

Rose walked over to the bed very slowly. She ran her fingers through her hair and trailed her tongue slowly across her lips before she crawled in next to me. I grabbed her hands and gently pulled her on top of me so she was straddling my waist. The silky white tank top and matching bottoms looked so sexy on her but I knew she wouldn't be wearing them for very long. Rose leaned down to kiss my lips and I pulled her mouth hungrily to mine. Her fingernails dragged down my chest and then slowly back up again.

"Oh Rose, I want you so bad." I moaned against her lips.

"Well get your little monster suited up and we can get down to business." She teased me and nibbled my bottom lip. I reached over the side of the bed but my hand was not finding what I needed.

"Hold on sweetie." I moved myself closer to the edge of the bed and looked down. _There it was! _I felt inside the box and there was nothing there. "What the hell?" I groaned. "Oh shit, I must have given them all to Edward. Dammit!"

"Well, it looks like the jokes on you then baby. You're going to have to wait for the good stuff until you're more prepared." Rose said with a smirk.

"Shit." I groaned. I knew I just screwed myself and it wasn't exactly my original plan. "I'm sorry Rose; I promise I'll make it up to you."

"It's okay Emmett. I'm pretty tired anyway." She said and slid down next to me kissing me sweetly.

All at once my bedside lamp flickered on. The electricity was back! I leaned over to turn it off. It was nice to have the ceiling fan back on to circulate the air. As the blades started to spin faster overhead, I felt something land on my chest. I sat up to see what it was and saw a small foil package fly across the room. Then another. And suddenly, It was raining little foil packages.

"Rose look! It's a gift from heaven!" I grabbed at a foil square and then realized it was empty. They all were! "What the flip is going on?!"

It was only a moment or two after that before the rubber rings started flying off the top of the fan in all directions. I was being pelted by…_HOLY SHIT! _I was being pelted by flying rubbers! Out of the package, unusable, flying rubbers! Rose pulled the covers over her head as I heard her giggling beside me.

"BELLA!!"

**A/N: **

**Just a moment…I'm still laughing picturing this! LMAO! Okay, so Bella got a bit of revenge. I guess she knew just how to cripple Emmett. Hope you all enjoyed it. **

**I may have dated myself with the Mr. Magoo comment. Hmmm?**

**I'm carefully watching the weather with Carlisle. Depending on how Hurricane Fay affects Key West, I will continue that aspect of the story appropriately. I had lived in North Carolina for 15 years and dealt with a few hurricanes so I know what the outcome could be like. I don't want to write anything into the story that hits too close to home, so to speak. If anyone reading this lives in the Florida area. Please…Be Safe!**

**Let me know what you think of the chapter. Look forward to your reviews!! **


	22. The Calm Before The Storm

Disclaimer:

The characters from the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We hold no rights to them otherwise. _DARN!_

**A/N: **

**It is nice to see how many Florida readers there are! So glad Fay didn't bother you all too much. **

**Eshizz, although I have to admit, it ****would ****be a very comical senior prank if the timing is right, just be careful you don't get in trouble! LOL **

**Silver Speed Demon, I am happy you are enjoying the story ;) I guess just knowing what the southern weather is like, makes it a bit predictable, but it's rather odd how spot on the story has been…Yikes! I better be careful what I write next!! **

**booksickle I sure hope you weren't looking out the window like Jasper when your transformer blew! You were able to live that part of the story first hand! **

**It's so awesome to see everyone enjoying this story. It is a great motivator for writing. Oh yes, and have a glass with some ice and sugar for the lemon…coming right up! Cheers!!**

_Previously:_

_It was only a moment or two after that before the rubber rings started flying off the top of the fan in all directions. I was being pelted by…HOLY SHIT! I was being pelted by flying rubbers! Out of the package, unusable, flying rubbers! Rose pulled the covers over her head as I heard her giggling beside me. _

"_BELLA!!" _

**APOV**

I was so glad the girls weren't sleeping in our room tonight. I guess I never actually thought that they would but I still had to ask them. I just couldn't sleep in Jasper's room tonight. The memory from his accident was too fresh. I quickly changed into my pink silky pajama set. A silky half shirt and boy shorts bottom. I just wished Jasper could see them on me.

"The bed is ready honey. Let me help you get comfortable." I told him. I took his hand and led him carefully over to the bed. Jasper sat on the edge of the bed as I moved to stand between his legs in front of him.

"Alice, you have been so wonderful to me. I am so glad that we found each other." He said while he reached up to touch my face.

"We were meant to be together Jazz. It's something I've know from the moment I first saw you. It's fate." I answered dropping my face to his so I could kiss his lips.

"You make me very happy; in a way that I have never felt happiness before. I feel so complete now that I have you." He said as he brought my face back to his and kissed me again very sweetly.

"You can't open your eyes right now can you?" I asked him concerned.

"It's okay, they're just very tired. It feels better right now if I leave them closed." He told me.

"Well, you leave them closed." I said as I lifted his shirt over his head. "I'll be your eyes, and you can just use your hands to help you see whatever you need to."

"What exactly do you mean?" He asked tipping his head to the side. _I just love when he does that_. I pulled the sunglasses from his face and placed them on the bedside table. He kept his eyes closed as promised. I then tugged his shorts down while he lifted up and sat back on the edge of the bed in his boxers.

"Let me show you." I said taking his hands and placing them on my hips. "Tell me what I'm wearing."

I moved his hands down the sides of my legs so he would get the idea. Then I guided them around to my backside letting him continue on his own. He very slowly let his hands circle my bottom before continuing up my back. As his fingers touched my warm skin, I watched a smile light up his face.

"What color?" He asked me while continuing to feel his way up my back and onto the silky material once again.

"Pink." I whispered as his hands slid down my sides, and across my hips, then down to my knees.

I reached down and grabbed his wrists. I helped to move his hands up the front of my legs while he let his fingers graze the insides of my thighs. He stopped at the front of my panties sliding one hand between my legs and the other behind the small of my back pulling me into him. Very slowly his hand slipped through my legs, across the slippery warm satin covering my core, and up until it reached my stomach. Continuing to move his hand upward, he slid it under my shirt and up the center of my chest. I let my head fall back enjoying the feeling of his fingers tracing my swells then, grazing my very perky nipples. I even whimpered when his hand slipped out from under my top.

He brought both hands up to my face and pulled me to him. He whispered in my ear, "I can tell that you look very beautiful tonight, just as you always do. You _feel_ beautiful. I wish I could actually see you. I want to see your face and know I'm making you happy."

"Shhh, I'll make sure you can tell how I'm feeling. You won't need to see my face to know you're making me happy." I smiled as my tongue grazed his lips.

He opened his mouth quickly as he hungrily kissed me and explored my mouth with his tongue. I climbed up into his lap as he moved back a bit more on the bed. My legs wrapped around his waist tightly pressing my warmth against his.

I wanted to try and experience this the same way he was, so I kept my eyes closed making myself aware of all I was feeling both physically and emotionally. The intensity of our kiss gave way to the need of oxygen. Feeling his way down my sides, Jasper found the bottom of my shirt and pulled it up and over my head. He let his hands roam down my arms, up my back, over my shoulders and down my chest taking both breasts into his hands. His lips found my cheek and he trailed kisses to my ear then teasingly down to my shoulder and returning. I arched my back and tipped my chin up to the ceiling to give him full access to my neck.

"Oh Jazz…" I moaned as his tongue left a wet trail across my neck and down the center of my chest. He moved his hands behind the small of my back as I leaned back further letting his tongue wet my nipples and continue down to my stomach circling my belly button. This tickled and I giggled wiggling my hips against him. _Oh,_ _I definitely feel him now_.

"Mmm… Alice. I know you are enjoying this as much as my hands and lips are but I don't know if I can take it. Even with my eyes closed, I am getting quite a visual." He groaned.

"Maybe you should try feeling this from a different prospective." I said in a sultry voice grinning from ear to ear. "Let me help you."

I helped him slide back fully on the bed. He lay on his back as I straddled his waist, still keeping my eyes closed. I placed my hands on his bare stomach and moved them up to his chest. My thumbs brushed over his nipples and I felt him trembled beneath me then place his hands on my hips. I rocked my hips from side to side and he helped to guide me. This was driving me crazy as he pulled me tightly against his hardness grinding me into it. I started to move my hips forward and back. I just couldn't resist.

"Alice…uhhh…those silky underwear…are so thin. I can feel…I can feel your warmth against me…mmm." He was breathing heavily as he struggled to speak.

"This feels so good Jazz." I panted as he kept guiding my hips up and back along his harness.

I bent down letting my lips crash into his. I was no longer able to control my desire. My tongue wrestled his, fighting for control as my fingers stroked wildly through his hair. I pressed my bare chest down against his feeling the heat of our bodies. His hands slid down my back until they moved over my backside. When he felt the bottom of my panties, his fingers slipped underneath letting his hands cup my cheeks. Together we continued moving against each other. My satin underwear caused friction against his boxers.

Our lips found a slower sensual pace as our bodies slipped against each other moving in a pulsing rhythm fueled by satin, sweat, and passion.

"Alice…this feels so good." He moaned against my lips increasing the pace of his hips.

"Ohmygod…Jazz…yes!" I shrieked.

I could feel my panties getting wetter as I slid up and down against his length. It wasn't much longer before we both found our release as we muffled our moans with deep kisses.

Our senses hit overload at the same time. We probably could have taken it all the way but I know that was something would want to be able to do when we could actually look into each others eyes when it happens.

"Wow Alice, that was amazing." Jasper sighed. He hugged me closely to him.

"Yes, it was." I said.

After a few minutes, I help him up so we could both get cleaned up and changed. I was glad we had a bathroom in our bedroom. We both put on new pajamas and climbed back into bed.

"Jazz, did you here someone yell? I wasn't paying attention since I was too busy, but it sounded like Emmett." I asked.

"Yeah, I think I heard him yell at Bella or something. I wasn't paying to much attention to anything but you." He smiled.

I snuggled against him and we both fell quickly asleep.

**BPOV**

One thing about sleeping in a room with a skylight, you can always tell when the sun is rising. I sensed the room beginning to brighten and felt someone slowly stroking my hair. When I opened my eyes I noticed Edward propped up on his elbow staring at me.

"Good Morning." I smiled at him as I reached my hand up to brush my fingers across his lips. He kissed my hand and then held it to his chest.

"Good Morning my love." He smiled back at me. "So, are you going to explain your comment last night? From the sound of Emmett's scream, I think you may have paid him back?" He raised his eyebrow at me.

I started to giggle as I explained the idea that came to me yesterday afternoon. I told Edward how I didn't have a chance to let him in on it and then with all the fun we were having, I had totally forgotten until Emmett's shout out last night.

"So, he had it coming and I made sure I paid him back." I grinned. "I wasn't sure when the electricity would be back on. Carlisle said it would be sometime last night and I hoped it would happen at the perfect moment."

"You are amazing! So…did you save any of them? You didn't put them all on his fan?" Edward looked at me a bit curiously.

"Why not? We won't need any of those anyways." I kissed his cheek and hopped up off the bed. "We better get ready so we can get some breakfast. I'm sure we'll be busy at the shop today. Then the rest of the week, the girls get to work on the boat again."

"Um, Bella?" He looked at me sadly. "Um, I didn't put any of those aside in case…" He was biting his bottom lip not sure how to continue.

"Edward…you look so cute," I said as I walked up and put my arms around his neck.

"You thought we were going to use those didn't you?"

"I don't understand?" He stared in my eyes trying to read me. "You're not interested in…you don't want to…be with me in that way? I guess I was crazy to think you…" I cut him off before he could beat himself up.

"Don't even say that!" I frowned at him. "I so very much want to be with you Edward! You mean so much to me and I guess I should have explained earlier. We don't need any of Emmett's little foil wrapped presents. My brother has no idea I've been on the pill since I was 15 years old. It wasn't any of his business and I suppose it still isn't. My mom took me to the doctor because I was having so many problems with cramping and headaches so we all agreed that the pill would help. It was the only reason I needed to be on it…until now. I guess it works out kind of nicely. No worries." I smiled shyly up at him.

"No worries." He replied as he let himself relax.

"When the time is right, it will be perfect." I saw a sparkle in his eyes and I would bet he could see one in my eyes too.

Edward brought his mouth down to meet mine and pulled me tightly into him. I gladly responded by running my fingers through his hair. I began losing myself to the passion of our kiss and as much as I was enjoying it, I knew we didn't have time for this now. Hesitantly pulling my lips away and rested my forehead on his.

"We really need to get ready." I told him.

"You are right." He said poking out his lip. I couldn't resist kissing him again just as passionately.

"Okay, okay, really Edward. We won't have time for breakfast." I was breathing heavy but my arms were still around him. He brought his lips to mine once more as my heart continued to pound out of control.

"Bella…I don't want to let you go." He whispered in my ear as his kisses trailed along my jaw and to my neck.

"Oh…" My knees became weak and I fell into him. "I'm either getting weak from your kisses or from lack of food."

We both giggled together and then decided it would be best to pry ourselves apart until we returned from work later. Edward gave me a nice tight hug and a sweet kiss before I went down to my bedroom to get a shower. We met up in the kitchen just in time for the entertainment of the morning.

"Emmett, sit down please." Rose shook her head. I watched him pacing back and forth in front of the table.

"I can't help it Rose. I couldn't burn off my extra energy last night, so what do you expect." He said while continuing to pace.

"You're getting on my nerves pacing back and forth like a caged gorilla. Jasper can't you calm him down? Throw him a banana or something?" Alice groaned.

"I can't fix his problem Alice." Jasper laughed and shook his head as he finished his cereal.

"You have no one to blame but yourself honey. See what happens when Karma comes to collect? It bites you in the butt." Rose giggled.

"Don't mention my butt. You're not helping the situation babe." Emmett grumbled.

"Are you having a _hard_ time about something Emm?" I tried to fight back the giggles as I asked.

"You're not very funny Bells! Where the hell did you get your timing? It sucks! And it looked like you used the whole damn box!" Emmett sighed in frustration. "Wait! Did you save _any_?"

"I guess you were so busy minding MY business that you forgot your Boy Scout's motto big brother. Now it looks like you're going to have to learn a little self control." I smirked at him and ignored answering his last question.

Everyone burst out laughing and even Emmett grinned. Rose gave him a big hug and whispered something in his ear that seemed to cheer him up. I noticed Alice and Jasper being extra adoring to each other.

"Jasper, how are your eyes today? I see you're still favoring your Ray-Bans." Edward asked. Jasper never removed his gaze from Alice as he answered.

"They feel a whole lot better, thanks. Bright light still bothers them though. Carlisle said I could just help out in the shop today and Alice is going to take my place on the boat." He said as Alice pulled him up from the table and hugged him fiercely.

"I would do anything for my Jazz." Alice purred.

"Oh, somebody please say it's time to go before these two start getting all lovey-dovey in front of us. I think I am going to lose my mind." Emmett groaned.

"Yeah, Emm. Please don't lose what little bit of a mind that you actually have." I teased.

"It's time to go," Edward replied with a laugh. "I just heard Jack beep the horn."

Everyone quickly cleaned up from breakfast and we climbed in the van for another day of work. Jasper was a big help at the shop today. Esme had a small shipment that came in and he was able to help unload all the heavy boxes as me and Rose put things away. The day went by quickly. Carlisle and Esme were back at the house with us and in the evenings we played board games and hung out together. The next three workdays also went by quickly.

Xoxoxoxo

The girls and I worked two days out on the tour boat helping Carlisle. It was fun being out on the water. Each tour group was pleasant and had been out on the tour before. That saved us from having to give out so much instruction. We just gave them the basic safety information and swam along with them in case of emergency. The water was getting a bit choppy on our way back in the afternoon of the second day.

"I think we may be done until after the storm ladies." Carlisle told us. "Tropical Storm Felix is getting closer and changing the mood of the waters. They're still expecting it to become a hurricane before it hits land. We will have to shut down until everything is back to normal around here."

Xoxoxoxo

The next day we were at the shop. Jasper was back to normal and the guys helped Carlisle and Jack get the boat ready for the storm. I was getting a bit nervous.

"Shouldn't we evacuate or something?" I asked.

"Some people do Bella," Esme explained. "But a lot of us just stick it out when we know it won't be too bad. The authorities are usually very good about letting everyone know when a mandatory evacuation is necessary."

"I'm glad to hear that." Rose said. Even she and Alice looked nervous.

"Should we be boarding up windows or something?" I asked.

"That is exactly what we will be doing tomorrow. By the evening we should start to feel much more wind as the storm approaches. Today will be our last relaxing day before things get tense." Said Esme. "It should be a very interesting experience for all of you. When Jasper and Emmett were here last summer, we didn't have a Tropical Storm or Hurricane threatening us."

"Don't you get scared Esme?" Alice asked.

"I think Mother Nature is very powerful. It is amazing to see her at work. You just have to be sure to stay safe and take care of those around you. We do leave if there is reason to believe it could get dangerous. We have been lucky to have very little or no damage to our property. And obviously Carlisle and I are just fine." She told us.

"We had talked about going out dancing tonight but since all the businesses have begun boarding up, we will probably relax in the hot tub instead." Said Rose.

"Good idea." Said Esme. "I made lasagna earlier so it will be ready to bake when we get home. Then everyone can relax."

We were all anxious to get back to the house to see the guys. We had dinner ready when they got home. Once they were cleaned up we sat down together in the dining room and listened to Carlisle give us the updated weather report.

"Tomorrow evening, as predicted, you will all get to experience your very first big storm. The first rain bans from Hurricane Felix are expected to come ashore. This storm is going to be a high category 1. We will be getting winds up to 90 some miles per hour before it moves all the way through. Be sure you get a lot of sleep tonight because we won't be sleeping much tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do in the morning gang." Carlisle informed us.

After helping to clean up from dinner, we all quietly changed into our swimsuits and met out back at the hot tub.

Edward wrapped his arms around me as I sat close against him. Everyone else seemed to be doing the same. We talked about what it might be like during a hurricane, but as much as we guessed, we would find out for real soon enough. As we dried off and left the poolside to get some sleep, we all gave each other a hug before entering the house.

I saw Esme curled up against Carlisle on the couch. They were talking quietly as Edward and I tiptoed up the stairs so as not to disturb them. We changed into pajamas and snuggled tightly in bed after we spent a good 20 minutes just kissing each other. Neither one of us said a word. We just drifted off to sleep.

**A/N:**

**Looks like those storm clouds are rolling in! Should make for some interesting reading over the next couple chapters. I will be pulling a lot of the Hurricane story from my own experiences back when Bertha hit good ole NC! A shout out to my NC readers! Since it is really, really late (or maybe I should say early). Let me get this posted for you. **

**Let me know what you think :) **


	23. Cross My Heart

Disclaimer:The characters from the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We hold no rights to them otherwise. _DARN!_

**A/N: **

**It is a bit strange to write this as Gustav is wrecking havoc in the gulf. Stay safe everyone! I love that everyone is enjoying this story. I have to be honest; I became a bit nervous at the end of chapter 14. My co-writer dropped down to Beta and since then has been kidnapped by the everyday business of life. I have been flying solo for the last 6 chapters. You're all still hanging in there, so I must be doing something right! Thank you for all your great reviews! **

**I do have an odd habit of talking about things that seem to end up happening. Feels like the twilight zone doesn't it? LOL Seriously though, I promise no earthquakes or blizzards in this story. LOL**

**Reigns Wondering Thoughts when Alice and Jasper are focused on each other they are not aware of very much else. Not even Emmett screaming, LOL. **

**Ishtar14 I would love to send Edward to visit you in Miami but I don't think Bella would let him go. **

**Silver Speed Demon thanks for the storm info for the area. It was a great help! Hope I am keeping the story pretty close to actual events. I won't get too over informative on hurricane details now that another storm is in your area but I will keep it in the line of how things would go.**

**totallyvamptastic sorry about all the rain there in England! Hope you have some sunshine soon!! **

**birdee18 and any other readers in the gulf coast areas affected by this new hurricane. Please….be safe! **

**Enough of the talk…let's get to the story!**

_Previously:_

_I saw Esme curled up against Carlisle on the couch. They were talking quietly as Edward and I tiptoed up the stairs so as not to disturb them. We changed into pajamas and snuggled tightly in bed after we spent a good 20 minutes just kissing each other. Neither one of us said a word. We just drifted off to sleep. _

**EMPOV**

There was a pretty steady breeze blowing this morning. I stood on the patio drinking my coffee and waiting for everyone else to come down for breakfast. I assumed we would need the generator for sure this time, so I had already pulled it out of the storage shed.

"Ah Emmett, I see you're thinking ahead." Carlisle said as he joined me on the patio. He took a long sip of his steaming cup of coffee as he stared at the generator.

"I thought we would need it." I said. "Is there anything else?"

"Well, we can start by closing the shutters and taping up the windows here and then this afternoon we will head over to the shop and get the windows boarded up there. Jack is picking up the sheets of plywood for the windows as we speak." He said. "I already have the wood stored in a storage unit."

"Good Morning Carlisle!" Alice came bouncing out the patio door with Jasper right behind her.

"Good Morning Alice, Jasper." Carlisle greeted them.

"Hey Emmett, Esme just put out some fresh bagels and juice." Jasper told me.

"Alright! Sounds like breakfast!" I headed through the door to find me some bagels. There was also a basket of fruit sitting on the counter.

"Morning Emm." The sweet sound of Rose's voice brought a smile to my lips. "Can you fix me some coffee?"

"Sure thing beautiful." I answered as I poured coffee into a mug for her. Rose came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"You're going to keep me safe during the storm I hope." She said laying her head against my back.

"I won't ever let anything hurt you Rose. Anything that wants to get to you will have to go through me first. And that isn't happening!" I growled as I set her coffee on the counter and turned to face her. She looked up into my eyes.

"I'll show you how much I appreciate your protection later." She purred running her fingers up my chest and around my neck.

"That's my Rose!" I lifted her up and kissed her lips hungrily.

"Oh Please…people eat in here you know!" Bella's voice made me jump. I turned to see her face smiling at me. "You really are a glutton for punishment Emmett. You're going to get yourself worked up for nothing or have you forgotten? That's funny!" She giggled.

No, I hadn't forgotten. My box was empty and Rose would not compromise on that. I better make sure I get to the drug store today. Just in case. Edward walked in and took Bella's hand and they came over to the counter to fix something to eat.

"Has Carlisle been down here yet?" Edward asked.

"He's out on the patio with Jasper and Alice." I answered as I sat down at the table to eat with Rose.

"I was wondering if he had an update on the storm this morning." Edward was watching Bella as he asked. She was fixing them both a bagel and putting fruit on a plate.

"I think he is going to fill us all in at once." I told him. "We'll be pretty busy today. We're going to start with the house then head over to the shop."

Carlisle, Jasper and Alice came into the kitchen. They refilled their coffee and stood around the table with us.

"According to the weather report this morning, Hurricane Felix has picked up speed and is getting close to the coast, a few miles out. We still have time but the storm will strengthen if it stalls out in the warm waters. Hopefully it will keep moving so we can get this over with. Girls, Esme and I have set a box of masking tape in the dining room. You will need to go around the house to the small windows that have no shutters and tape them with an "X"." He explained.

"What will that do?" Rosalie asked.

"Well if the wind gets strong enough to break the windows it will keep them from shattering into small pieces. We have never had a window break to test that theory but we still do it. Jack will be here with the wood soon with plywood for the sliding glass doors." Carlisle said. "Emmett took out the generator already, but boys I still need you to stack all the chairs and lounges from the patio into the shed. Anything in the yard that can move will need to be stored away or it will become a flying projectile."

"Yeah, I'd hate to be the one that got hit with a flying gas grill!" I snickered. "Ow!" Rose didn't find my comment very funny and pinched my arm.

"Emmett, there will be a lot of things flying around out there that people did not secure correctly. You'll see. The bridges are closing in the next hour and anyone who wants to leave will be doing it this morning. The storm is still expected to stay at a category 1 so we will have heavy wind, lots of rain, and flooding. Chances are the electricity will go out and it will be a while before we get it back. The electric companies will be very busy after this thing moves over us. Is there any questions?" He glanced around the table at everyone.

"I think we all understand so far Carlisle. Just let us know where you need our help and we will be there for you and Esme." Jasper answered for us all.

"Thank you Jasper." Esme replied as she walked to the table to join us. "We are very confident that things will be okay. We've had to do this many times over the years. You'll notice a lot of the long timers from the area are staying to weather out this storm. We have learned how to judge a hurricane. We won't stay if it's a very strong storm."

"Winds that are blowing at 90 miles an hour seem pretty strong Esme." Bella commented.

I watched Edward standing behind her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders pulling her into him. Then he kissed the top of her head. Bella seemed to relax with his touch. I nodded my head as he looked over at me. Edward nodded back at me and tightened his arms around her. He knew I was asking him to keep her safe and I knew his answer was…_always_. Bella is going to be okay. I could trust her with Edward and this helped me to turn my focus to Rose.

"You won't want to be outside." Esme said. "If you are fascinated by weather you may find this experience very interesting. Since the storm is coming at us somewhat sideways. We will first have winds hitting us from the south, then a nice clear sky and calmness as the eyes passes, until everything starts again, but blowing from the opposite direction."

"That does sound rather interesting." Said Alice. "I am curious to see what this will be like. I have a very strong feeling that we will all be fine. So I'm going to try not to worry. Besides, I will be too busy keeping Jasper away from the windows when there is lightning!"

Everyone laughed and Jasper just shrugged his shoulders. "I like storms, what can I say."

"Let's get down to work. Jack should be here any minute. Boys there are pegs around the glass doors that the wood will fit into. Each piece is marked so you will know which one to put it on." Carlisle explained. He then went out front to wait for Jack.

The girls followed Esme into the dining room while the guys and I went out by the pool to begin rounding up the loose stuff.

Edward and Jasper brought the chairs to the shed and I stacked them inside. We moved

the grill and tables inside also. I looked out the window waiting on Jasper to bring the pool side torches but it looked like he was playing around.

Leaning out the door I yelled to him, "Jazz, what the hell are you doing?"

"Trying to get the beach ball out of the pool. Give me a minute." He yelled back. Edward handed me the torches shaking his head.

"Jazz, I don't think we need to worry about the beach ball." I shouted.

"Do you want to be the one that gets hit in the head by a 90 mile an hour, flying, beach ball?" Jasper snapped.

"Jasper really, I don't think it will be a big deal." Edward told him.

"Wait…I got it!" Jasper pulled the ball out of the water grinning from ear to ear.

"Way to go Jasper! The residents of Key West are now safe from the attack of the killer beach ball." I teased.

"Here Emmett, just put it away!" Jasper growled hitting me in the head with the beach ball.

"Nice throw." I laughed at him. "Was that supposed to hurt?"

"Oh I'm sorry, did you want me to make it hurt?" He said as he jumped on my back and started punching me in the arm. I spun around fast trying to shake him off.

"Emmett what in the hell are you doing now? Quit giving Jasper a piggy back ride and get your work done!" Rose yelled from an upstairs window.

"Rosie, he started it!" I yelled back up to her then shoved Jasper off my back. "Get off cowboy, what do you think this is a rodeo?"

"You guys are pathetic." Edward was laughing so hard his eyes were tearing up.

"Oh really?" I looked at Edward then at Jasper. It took a whole two seconds before Edward realized what was happening. Probably about the same time he was flying through the air into the pool.

"Edward!" Bella was standing on the balcony staring at us. She was frozen in place until she saw Edward come to the surface of the water and climb out of the pool. He stood up and glanced toward the balcony. "Edward, are you okay?"

"Um…I'm not real sure." He bent over placing his hands on his knees. "Ughh…"

"Edward, what's up?" Jasper asked as I walked over with him to check if everything was okay.

"It's just…" He paused and we both bent forward to look at him. That is when it felt like a truck hit us. "Paybacks are a bitch!"

With a grunt Edward rammed us full on and sent both Jasper and I flailing into the pool.

As I surfaced I heard a chorus of laughter coming from the balcony above us. Rose, Alice, Esme, Carlisle and Jack had joined Bella by the railing.

"I hope you boys are relaxed now." Carlisle yelled down still laughing. "Go grab the wood off the truck so we can finish up here."

We climbed out of the pool laughing and shook hands. Our girls tossed towels down so we could dry off. I guess it didn't really matter because that's when a light rain started falling. We shrugged our shoulders and headed out front. It didn't take very long for us to board up the glass doors. Carlisle and Jack walked around the house to make sure all the shutters were secure and then they drove out to the shop with the remaining wood. Esme and the girls followed behind with her car and after me and the guys changed into something dry we walked to the shop to finish helping.

"Hey Jasper, isn't there a drug store on our way to the shop?" I asked.

"It's on the next block, why?" He looked at me confused and then he figured it out from the grin on my face. "They are probably getting ready to close if they haven't already."

"Shit, I'll meet you at the shop." I told them and took off jogging.

**BPOV **

We tossed towels down to the boys and I enjoyed the view of Edward's wet clothes clinging to his body. He ran the towel over his hair then looked up at me with his cute crooked smile. I winked down at him and smiled back. The guys shrugged and threw their towels back up to us as a light rain started to fall. They went around the house to meet Jack and Carlisle out front.

"Rose, what exactly attracts you to my brother?" I asked with a giggle.

"I guess I love that he can be a man and a kid all at the same time." Rose laughed. Alice and I shook our heads laughing with her.

We went out back and brought in all the plants and potted flowers for Esme. We put them along the wall by the doorway.

"Alice, are you sure you're okay?" I asked. She was staring outside at the rain.

"Just watching the clouds. They sure are moving fast." She said almost in a daze. Rose and I joined her to watch the clouds sliding past. They were moving the opposite way you would expect to see them go.

"Wow." We all said together.

"Wow is right!" Rose said nudging us to look the other direction. The guys were coming around the corner of the house with no shirts on, carrying big sheets of plywood. Even Carlisle and Jack had their shirts off. We stared at their bulging muscles as they walked right past us.

"Alice, why are you standing in the rain?" I asked noticing that she moved out from under the shelter of the patio.

"Bella, after looking at that, I needed something to cool me off." She grinned. Rose and I quickly ran over to her and stood in the rain.

"You silly girls, get in here!" Esme was giggling at us. "I have some lemonade to cool you off with."

When everything was shuttered and boarded up we got ready to head over to the shop. Carlisle left first in Jack's truck so they could take the wood and get it unloaded. The guys were going to get changed and would walk over and meet us there.

"Girls, I am going to run next door and make sure the neighbors don't need anything from town before we go. I'll be right back." Esme said as she ran out the door.

Rose, Alice and I looked at each other, smiled and then ran up the stairs to check on the guys. I found Edward changed into dry shorts and pulling on a t-shirt. I stood in the doorway and watched him run his fingers through his hair to try and tame it.

"I would love to do that for you." I said. He turned around quickly and grinned at me. We moved to each other and met halfway in an embrace. "Edward." I sighed.

"Bella, I wish I could hold you like this forever." He whispered. "I love you."

I looked into his eyes and felt my heart skip a beat.

"I love you too." I whispered as my lips found his. It was such a soft sensuous kiss. Edward pulled me tightly into him and I pressed up against his body in a perfect fit.

"I will be a few minutes behind you but I won't be long. You better go ride with Esme. Be safe my love." He said.

"Okay, but please hurry. I want to stay near you." I told him. I felt a shiver as I thought of the storm so near.

"Don't be scared Bella, I will keep you safe. I promise." He stared into my eyes as he told me this crossing his finger over his chest. "Cross my heart."

We kissed one more time and I hurried down to meet Rose. Alice came down a few seconds later and we left with Esme in her car.

When we reached the store we helped to secure things from out front. We brought in the plants and the park bench then took down the pretty canopy awning.

Edward and Jasper arrived while we were trying to fold the canopy. The rain started falling down steady and thunder rumbled over head. They hurried over and helped Carlisle with a piece of plywood.

"Jasper, hold it tight or the wind is going to grab hold of it." Carlisle told him.

They slid it carefully into the brackets around the window and tightened them down before moving on to the next one. Emmett rounded the corner jogging. He was shoving a small bag into the pocket of his hoodie. _You have got to be kidding me!_

"Bella! We need to try and fold this inside. Let's take it in and lay it out on the floor. It will be easier." Rose said. "Where did Alice go?"

"Oh, she went with Esme to help the lady at the flower shop next door. She was having a hard time taking in the last of her plants." I said.

We spread out the awning and together we were able to fold it quickly and take it into the storage room. Esme wanted us to move all the clothing racks into the back room also in case the windows still gave way. That way nothing would get ruined by water. I was happy all the racks were on wheels. It made it easier.

"Bells," Emmett stuck his head in the door. "Are you and Rose almost finished?"

"Just about, we have a few things to do and we will be all set in here." I told him.

"Well, the windows are done and we are going down the block to make sure everyone is all set with their shops. Jasper and Edward are two doors down and I am going the other direction with Jack. Just in case anyone else may need help. Carlisle said we are to meet back at the house as soon as we are done. So hurry up! The wind is really picking up all of a sudden." Emmett said.

"Okay Emm. I'll let Rose know. She's in the back." I said as I walked quickly to the back room. I heard the door shut as Emmett left.

"Rose we need to finish up, it's getting very, very windy out there. Emmett said we should meet back at the house." I told her. I must have sounded nervous because she walked up to me and gave me a hug.

"It's okay Bella." She said. "I'm done so I'm going to let Esme know and she can bolt the door. We can get back to the house after that. I'll be right back."

"I have this last rack to put in the back and I might see if the guys are still at the shop two doors down so I can let Edward know we're going to the house. I don't want him to worry." I told her.

Rose ran out the door to get Esme and I hesitated before I put away the last rack. _I should just tell Edward what we're doing so he'll know. Then I can put this rack away and leave with the girls. _I ran next door to find him and Jasper but no one was around. The shop two doors down was locked and I guessed they moved on to help some others or already went back to the house. I turned and ran back to finish up before Esme returned. The rain felt like it was blowing sideways. It hit me in the face stinging my cheeks as I ran.

I pulled open the shop door and hurried inside. "Rose, Esme, Alice?" I shouted. No one answered. Good. I made it back before them so I grabbed the last clothing rack and pulled into the back storage room. Pushing it up against the other racks, I bumped into a shelf of blankets knocking a few of them onto the floor. _What a time to be clumsy_.

"Bella!" I heard Esme call my name.

Balancing a pile of blankets in front of my face I shouted back to her. "Just a minute."

I heard the door close knowing they would be waiting for me out front. Quickly I pushed the blankets back onto the shelf. I could straighten them later. Then I double checked the back door to be sure it was locked and hurried out of the back room so I could get back to the house and be with Edward.

When I reached the front door, I pulled the handle but it wouldn't open. _Come on stupid door! _I tugged harder but still nothing. I couldn't understand. I looked out the window of the door and couldn't see anyone in either direction. Esme's car was gone too. As I strained to try and see someone, that is when I notice the padlock hanging on the door. _Oh my Gosh! Esme didn't hear me! She didn't know I was still in here_! I ran to the phone and dialed the house, but no one answered. _They must not be back yet. I'll wait a few minutes and try again. _Pacing back and forth I let 10 very long minutes go by and walked back towards the counter to use the phone again. All at once I heard a loud gust of wind and the lights flickered and went out. _Oh No!_ I ran the last couple steps to the phone but I already knew before I picked it up…no dial tone.

**EMPOV**

"Whoa, it's raining sideways out there! That really stings!" I commented shaking the water from my hair.

"Emmett! Don't shake like a dog you're getting everything wet." Rose frowned at me.

"Oh Rosie, give me a hug." I ran up and grabbed her pulling her into my wet clothes. She giggled and tried to pull away but I could tell she wasn't trying very hard.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked.

"Alice, Jasper and Edward are in the media room watching the weather channel. Esme and Carlisle are in the kitchen fixing something for us to eat and…where is Bella? Wasn't she with you?" Rose asked looking around.

"Last I seen her, she was with you at the shop." I said. A frown formed on my face.

"Hey Emmett, where's Bella." Edward said bounding into the foyer. His smile turned into worry as he glanced around not seeing her.

"Bella was putting the last rack of clothes away and then going to find you and Jasper." Rose told him.

"We never saw her." Jasper answered from behind Edward. "We went to help the other shop owners but they were pretty much set so we came back here to the house to wait for everyone."

"Where is Bella?" Edward's voice was becoming panicked.

"What is wrong?" Esme and Carlisle came out to see what the happening.

"Bella is not here!" Edward shouted running his hands nervously through his hair. "I have to go find her."

"I'll check the phone in case she tried to call here before we all got back." Alice said and ran from the room.

"Edward, just hold on a minute so we can figure this out. You can't just go running down the streets in this storm." Carlisle told him. Edward paced back and forth in the small space.

Just then the lights flickered along with a strong gust of wind outside. The power went out and we were standing in a darkening foyer. It would soon be night.

"Before I locked up the shop, I called her name, but I didn't hear her answer. I thought that she had already left. I noticed the floor was wet but didn't think anything of it. Maybe she was in the back room and didn't hear me." Esme's voice quivered. "Oh Carlisle, I put the padlock on. I might have locked her in."

Alice ran back into the room and stood beside Jasper. "I'm glad I was able to check the phone before the power went out. There was no message but a call came through to the house from the shop. It would have only been a minute or two before we started arriving home. It had to be Bella. I picked up the phone to call the shop but that is when the power went out. The phones are down too." Alice's voice cracked. "She's all by herself. She's scared, I just know it."

"Esme, I need the keys to the shop I have to go get her!" Edward was getting panicked.

His eyes became dark with determination. Esme pulled a set of keys from her pocket and handed them to him with a tear in her eyes.

"Hurricane Felix is not going to wait for you." Said Carlisle. "You can't try to make it back to the house; you'll have to stay at the shop with her. The storm is getting way too dangerous. The winds are already at 70 miles per hour. It is only getting worse."

"I'll go with him." I said. "It's my sister. I have to go."

"No Emmett, thank you but you have to stay here and keep everyone else safe. I promise I'll bring her back. I promised Bella…" Edward's voice drifted off and then returned quieter. "I promised her I would keep her safe. I crossed my heart."

And before anyone else could say anymore or insist on going with him, Edward was out the door running as fast as the wind would let him. We stood on the front porch watching him disappear into the pouring rain.

**A/N:**

**So, the lion is off to rescue the lamb. Will he get there in time before Bella completely freaks out? Did Esme give him the right keys? Will he get hit in the head by a flying beach ball and knocked out before he even reaches the shop?? Oh My! **

**Watch for the next chapter so you can find out! **

**Don't forget to leave a review. I'm always anxious to hear your opinion : )**


	24. Fighting Mother Nature

Disclaimer:

The characters from the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We hold no rights to them otherwise. _DARN!_

**A/N: **

**Okay…..Let me do this first…HANNAH and IKE, STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!! **

**There, hopefully that will help a bit. Stay safe though everyone. **

**As I sit here writing this chapter, the wind is gusting at a mere 20 miles per hours. The remains of Gustav are saying hello as they pass through Michigan. Yes, I am kind of a weather freak. I wish I was still in North Carolina getting ready for Hannah. It is amazing to witness Mother Nature at work. I was captivated. **

**voldemortperfumes- you can stop biting your nails, Edward is on the way : )**

**Lilly Romanov- Wow, you actually know what it is like before a blizzard? We sometimes get a lot of snow here but I can't say I have ever been in a **

**blizzard…interesting…and Yes, I am going to look up that poem you suggested, thanks!**

**Anon e mouse- glad I could make you do a happy dance, that is sweet! LOL **

**Sweetiewriter4712- I will keep writing for sure if there are cookies involved! Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Shortbread...**

**So many of you enjoyed the thought of a run away beach ball! Loved the comment from Screams-At-Midnight: KILLER BEACH BALL GO RAWR. LOL**

**You all make me smile, so in return for the wonderful reviews and encouragement I am posting this chapter early! Enough with the cliffhanger, let's find out what happens next…….. **

Previously:

"_No Emmett, thank you but you have to stay here and keep everyone else safe. I promise I'll bring her back. I promised Bella…" Edward's voice drifted off and then returned quieter. "I promised her I would keep her safe. I crossed my heart." _

_And before anyone else could say anymore or insist on going with him, Edward was out the door running as fast as the wind would let him. We stood on the front porch watching him disappear into the pouring rain. _

**BPOV**

_Please, please, please_. I picked the handset up and set it back in the cradle numerous times. The results were always the same…**no dial tone**…**no help**…**no one knew I was here**. But they had to figure it out. At any moment they would realize I was not with them. Edward would realize I was missing, but would they know where to look? Rose thought I was leaving the shop to be with Jasper and Edward. For all they know, I'm wandering out in the storm. It was no use. I may never see Edward Masen again. The storm was getting too strong and no one would be able to come find me until everything was done.

I slammed the silent handset down on the cradle of the phone. I wanted to break it to pieces but if for some chance the service started working again, I would need that phone. _Stupid Bella, how could you forget your cell phone?_ _Would it even work if I had it?_ I hung my head in defeat and started to cry. _Oh Edward, I need you. I am so scared_.

I lifted my head and through watery eyes, looked around the shop for some way to get out. I noticed something I had never thought about before while I was working here. All of the merchandise was on racks or tables that sat up above floor level. Nothing was displayed down low. Esme must have had trouble in the past with flooding or just wanted to avoid the possibility of losing anything in case of a flood. Hmmm.

There had to be a way out of here. _Maybe the back door? _I ran into the store room to check it. Pushing and pushing, I gave into defeat once more. It must be padlocked just like the front. _How can this be happening to me? _I leaned my back against the door and slid down to the floor. I wrapped my arms around my legs and my forehead dropped to my knees. The wind was howling outside and I could hear the rain beating against the building. _Will the shop withstand the pounding that Mother Nature is about to give it? If everything began to crumble around me would I be able to make it out alive? Maybe the waters will flood the shop and I will drown inside of here! Oh god...Edward._ I started to tremble and wrapped my arms tighter around myself.

I am not sure how long I was sitting like this but a very loud crash startled me and I screamed out loud, "NOoo! Please No!" My tremors turned into all out shakes as I could no longer calm my nerves.

"Ohm gosh, ohm gosh…" I pushed myself up so I could stand and almost collapsed back down to the floor. My legs were like rubber and didn't want to work.

I took a deep breath and headed out of the stock room to the front of the shop. Everything was so dark, the wind was so loud, and I was so nervous my teeth were even chattering. I felt my way along holding onto racks until I reached the doorway of the stock room. It was just as dark in the shop. A crack of space under the front door was letting in a mist of water and a cool breeze. The wind is cold. I found a towel under the counter and pushed it against the base of the door to keep the moisture out. _Like that's going to be much help if the roof comes down. But then, if the roof comes down on me I won't be around long enough to even think about anything else. Except…my Edward. _

A huge burst of wind hit the front of the shop and the towel was blown away from the base of the door. Even with the windows boarded up, the glass inside rattled and shook from the pressure. _Bella, you can't just stand here, you have to go in the back room. There are no windows, it will be safer. _How was I able to find common sense amongst all this fear? I had no choice. I had to try and fight this fear. I just had to see Edward again.

My hands raked through my hair as I moved toward the doorway to the back room. I heard a thump on the roof and looked up. _The skylight! _I need a ladder. There is a ladder in the back room. I can climb out onto the roof and find a way to slide down! I had to get out of this place, I had to get out, I…

Hysterics were setting in. I blindly raced to the back room bumping into things every few steps. _I am going to be full of bruises._ I found the step ladder and dragged it back out to the shop. It was pretty tall and a bit awkward to hold up while I fumbled with opening it.

_There! See Bella, you can do this! _Wind was crashing against the building again as torrents of rain pounded on the walls and roof. _How much can this poor shop withstand_?

I squeezed my eyes tight as I held onto the ladder with my foot resting on the first rung. _What are you doing Bella! Stop, go back and find a safe place in the store room. Be safe! _The thoughts in my mind spoke to me in Edward's voice. But I couldn't stay here; I had to be with him. _I would do anything to be with Edward. I loved him more than life itself_.

Carefully I climbed to the top of the ladder until I could touch the skylight. I released the lock and pushed up on the plexi-glass window. _It opens! _As I tried to push it all the way open a gust of wind pushed it back closed. _I was not prepared for that_.

"Dammit!" I grumbled out loud. The ladder wiggled beneath me but I caught my balance. "Okay Bella, you can do this."

I took a deep breath and pushed on the skylight with more pressure this time. I felt like I was having a fight with the wind. It was pressing back down on the window as I was pushing up. A burst of very strong wind slammed the window down against me almost smashing my fingers. The ladder rocked from my unbalanced body and tipped to the side taking me with it. _Ahhh! _I tried to jump clear and not get hit by the falling ladder but that didn't turn out as such a good idea. I actually fell into the wall shelves and hit my head. Souvenirs were sent flying in all directions. _You klutz!_ I scolded myself and started to cry.

I made myself crawl to the back room. In spite of the increase of coldness in the shop, my head was pounding and I was starting to feel sweat on my forehead. I reached up to wipe it off before it dripped into my eyes and that's when I realized it wasn't sweat, I was bleeding. I had cracked my head pretty good on the shelf and blood was beginning to soak my hair. _Oh Shit!_ I found a spot on the floor by the wall and placed my back against it. I curled up with my legs to my chest and rested my chin on my knees. _Right back to the same position I was in earlier._ Pressing one hand onto the gash in my head, I tried to stop the bleeding and make my headache go away. I should look for a towel but I just feel so tired. I have worn myself out from all the stress. I've probably been here less than an hour but it feels like so much longer.

I had no more strength to cry. I just let the tears stream quietly down my face. My head hurts, I miss Edward, and hell I even miss Emmett. The wind and the rain were relentless outside. They were loudly pounding on the walls. I closed my eyes and thought of the one thing that could keep me calm, those beautiful emerald green eyes. _My Edward…_

**EMPOV**

The shop was within walking distance from the house, but with these high winds and driving rain, it was going to take Edward twice as long to reach Bella. As fast as he could run, he was not getting anywhere fast. I watched him make his way as quickly as he possibly could. He was fighting Mother Nature. I was betting on Edward to win.

"I should have gone with him. I know Bella. She was freaking out from the moment she realized she was locked in. I just know it." I groaned.

"Emmett honey, Edward will get to her. He cares so much for Bella, it's tearing him apart that she's out there all alone. He will do everything possible to make her safe." Esme reassured me.

"I know he will. I just hope he makes it there safe himself." I said. "Look at the wind and the rain. It is picking up big time! It's got to be hard to even walk in this stuff."

"Once we get into the eye of the storm Edward and Bella will have time to make it back to the house." Carlisle explained. "It's going to be a few hours though before that will happen so they'll have to sit tight at the shop until then. They'll be okay."

"Emm, this is crazy!" Jasper said standing next to me on the porch. "Look at the lightning show!"

"Jazz you get away from that lightning!" Alice shouted from inside the doorway.

"I am fine Al. I'll be more careful this time." Jasper answered her shaking his head. "Whoa! Look at the stuff blowing around out there!"

"Where?" I stared down the street trying to figure out what he was looking at.

"Look towards the downtown area, where Edward went." Said Rose pointing. "That's what Jasper is talking about."

You could see things flying around in the heavy wind. It was hard to tell what it was though. I turned around to look the other way down the street. A few of the neighbors were standing on their porches just like we were. The rain was blowing at the back and side of the house so we were able to watch without getting very wet at all. This was just amazing!

"You should all get inside. It is not safe to be out there." Alice said loudly out the door. "Please Jazz. You could get hit by something."

"Like what Alice? The scary, killer beach ball?" I teased her.

"Okay, okay…I'll be right in." Jasper poked his lip out. He was such a storm nut. This will probably be the highlight of our summer for him. "What the…HEY Look Out!" He grabbed Rose's arm and pulled her down in a squat with him before I had a chance to figure out what he was talking about.

"What's going…" smack It hit me right between the eyes. "Shit! What the hell was that?" Laughter erupted all around me.

"Emm get down." Rose tugged on my arm as she giggled. "You're going to get hit again."

I squatted down just in time to see inflatable pool toys flying in our direction. Beach balls, water wings, and floats were sailing through the air on gusts of wind.

"Are you shittin me? Did I just get hit with…" I started.

"A beach ball!" They all chanted together finishing my sentence.

"No freakin way! That's just messed up." I grumbled. Jasper opened his mouth to say something and I cut him off before he had a chance. "Don't say it! Just don't even say it."

The coast appeared clear so I took Rose by the hand and quickly moved back into the house. Jasper followed behind us. The rain and wind were getting even stronger and we were starting to get wet. I looked down the street one more time before I closed the door. _Edward, please find Bells and keep her safe_. I turned and joined everyone in the candle lit media room. They were listening to a battery operated weather radio.

**EPOV**

I leapt off the porch at full force heading for downtown holding the keys to the shop tightly in my hand. The only thing on my mind was getting to Bella. No matter how hard the wind pushed at me I continued to push back. _This was one hell of a workout! _I had to put my arm up in front of my face to block the rain. In a seventy mile an hour wind, raindrops felt like needles on your skin. All around me leaves; branches and other flying projectiles were trying to take me out. I found myself slowing down to a determined walk so I could make sure I wasn't hit by anything.

It was such an eerie feeling. The streets were empty just like a ghost town. Sheets of rain rippled across the road like ribbons. The sky was darkening before my eyes. I needed to get to the shop before it was too dark to see. The sound of the wind was like a strange loud hum all around me, just a non-stop, steady sound. I looked up into the sky and saw the clouds moving so fast. They were actually moving in a circular pattern. Streaks of lightning lit up the clouds casting a sinister glow.

It was getting harder to move forward against the storm. The wet ground made my feet slip and the wind kept pushing me sideways. It is so hard to fight nature, but I was willing to fight whatever I had to until I made it to Bella.

As I rounded the corner a gust of high wind threw me off balance. I tripped over the stump of a newly destroyed tree and my arms cart wheeled as I tried to catch myself.

The wind helped to throw my momentum forward and I slammed against a metal cage filled with inflatable beach toys. It had been bolted to the front of a store. After hitting the cage I fell forward on my knees. _Shite!_

Shaking the wet hair from my face I realized I was no longer holding the keys for the shop. _No, no, no! _I must have dropped them when I hit the cage. I scrambled to my feet and looked through the metal grating. _Damn! _There they were lying amongst a pile of beach balls, and other water toys. I grabbed the door to the cage and shook it fiercely as I screamed.

The lock wasn't heavy duty but it still wouldn't come loose. I didn't have time to fight the wind and go back to the house for extra keys. _I had to get these_. Looking around I spotted a large rock in front of the store. It was about the size of a football. I quickly picked it up and smashed it numerous times against the lock. When I felt something hit off my shoe and drop to the ground I stopped. Pieces of the lock were lying by my feet. I tossed the rock to the side and yanked open the door of the cage.

A gust of wind, stronger than anything I had felt so far, ripped the door from my hand and slammed it shut again. The keys fell to the bottom of the cage. _Oh no,_ _I don't think so!_ I grabbed the door once more and pulled with all my strength. Bracing my back against the door to keep it from closing again, I began tossing the beach balls and toys out into the street. The wind was grabbing them playfully and hurling them along down the road. _I sure hope no one is standing in their path._ I spotted the keys and grabbed them quickly. Shoving them in the pocket of my pants and continued on. Only a few blocks more to go. _Bella, I am almost there baby_.

The wind was taking everything out of me. I could tell that it had increased from when I had left the house. It was getting colder and the rain was coming down heavier. The wind was causing it to fall straight down, sideways, one direction and then the other. I kept my gaze directed down at my feet as I pressed forward. _Just one more block to go! _WhenI heard a loud cracking noise it startled me. I looked up just in time to watch a rather large tree branch get carried away by the wind. If I was walking any faster it would have hit me. I checked around to see if it was clear from debris and pushed myself harder. It feels like I have been walking for a very long time.

I felt the front of my pant pocket just to be sure. _The key is still there_. It was almost completely dark and I moved up closer to the fronts of the buildings. It was hard to see but I could make out the front of Esme's shop just ahead of me. My heart started beating faster and as tired as I was, I found the strength to run the rest of the way there. It must have looked like I was running in slow motion to anyone who would have seen me. It felt like I was running through a pool filled with waist high water and not just running against the wind.

"Bella!" I shouted. A gust of wind carried the sound of my voice away with it.

I reached the front door and tried to look in through the small window. It was no use. The shop was completely dark inside. I pounded on the door to try and get her attention, just to see if she was okay, but I am not even sure she would have heard me with all the noise from the hurricane. Grabbing the keys out of my pocket, I flipped through them trying to figure out which one fit the padlock. _Not that one…not that one…Shite!_ _Something just had to go right…please! Don't tell me I have the wrong keys_.

My hands were shaking badly, both from nerves and from the cold rain. It was the very next key that slid perfectly into the lock. I squeezed my eyes shut and said one word before I turned it…_Please._

I felt the lock drop open in my hand. As fast as I could move, I pulled out the lock dropping it on the ground and pushed my way through the door. Quite opposite of all the noise outside, it was deathly quiet in here. I tried to let my eyes adjust to the darkness. With the windows boarded up, it was so very dark in here.

"Bella?" I called as I walked carefully forward. I let my feet drag as I walked so as not to trip on anything. "Bella?" _She just had to be here_. _What if she wasn't? What if Alice was mistaken and Bella was lost outside in the storm? _My heart was pounding so hard it hurt my chest.

After another step, I felt my foot hit something hard. I bent down to get a closer look and realized it was a ladder. _Why was a ladder here on the floor?_ I looked up and noticed the skylight. _Oh no…would she have tried to go out that way? Did she? _I had to finish looking in here before I went outside again. I checked the dressing rooms…nothing, behind the counter…nothing. My legs were shaking I was getting so nervous. _Bella, where are you! _

All that was left was the back room. There were no windows there. It would have been a safe place to go and it was where I headed next. My eyes were more adjusted to the dark and I moved as fast as possible through the racks of clothes in my way.

"Bella please…are you here?" It came out in a pained moan.

"Edw…Edward, help me." Bella whimpered near by.

I heard her start to cry and ran directly for the sound. Not caring that I ripped my shirt on one of the racks. Not caring that I was moving so fast it was hard to see and I stumbled down to my knees. I began to crawl the rest of the way until I reached her. _I found my Bella and nothing was going to hurt her now._ Tears were running down my cheeks, I was so relieved. I stopped beside her and pulled her into my arms.

"Edward is it really you or am I dreaming?" Her words came out in a whisper. She nuzzled against my chest.

"It's really me sweetheart. I'm here with you and I am not going anywhere." I told her. I reached a hand up and stroked her hair. It felt wet, and sticky.

"My head is bleeding. I fell off the ladder trying to get out of here. It hurts." She said.

I pulled her carefully away from myself so I could look at her better. Her cheeks were tear streaked, her eyes were red, and part of her hair was coated with blood. I reached behind her back and under her legs then picked her up into my arms as I stood up from the floor.

"Oh Bella," I whispered in her ear. "I am so sorry. This should have never happened to you. I should have been here…"

"Stop Edward…" She cut me off. "Don't you dare blame yourself. You had no way to know I would get locked in here. That was no ones fault. And it's my own clumsy fault that I fell off that stupid ladder. I'm so glad you're here. I was scared I would be all alone."

"As long as I am in your life, you will never be alone." I told her.

I stared into her beautiful brown eyes as my lips met hers. I kissed her softly at first until she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled her mouth tighter against mine.

"Ow," she whimpered quietly.

"Bella my love, we are going to be here for a while. Let's get your head fixed up and then see what's around here to help us get more comfortable." I carefully set her down so her feet could touch the floor.

**A/N:**

**What a struggle! Were you sitting on the edge of your seats? Hello?? Why are you on the floor? Its safe now, Edward made it. Get up and sit back in your chairs. LOL! **

**I am going to try and get the next chapter out by Wednesday. I will try very, very hard cause I don't want to leave you hanging until I return from Forks. Yes, I am going to Forks next weekend to meet up with all the crazy TMs. It should be very interesting. If I happen to find one of the Cullen boys wandering around in the forest, I will bring him home and invite all my loyal Review Groupies over so we can all drool together. LOL (wouldn't that be nice! Edward, Emmett, or Jasper…does it really matter which one it is? I would probably have to tie all your hands behind your backs so you wouldn't tear him to pieces trying to get your hands all over him! LOL) **

**Sooo…back to reality. Here's your chapter early…hope you enjoyed it and throw me some feedback : ) Pardon any grammatical errors. I was trying to finish quickly.**


	25. Compassion

Disclaimer:

All characters from the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We hold no rights to them otherwise. _DARN!_

**A/N: **

**First of all, thank you for your patience. I thought I would have had more time before leaving for Forks…should have known better. It is a beautiful place with the rain forests and La Push beach areas!! Wow, I highly recommend you take a visit if at all possible. Can you believe it was actually sunny while we were in Forks? So of course that makes it hard to find any vampires! That bites!!**

**Since two days after my return I have been fighting a cold. LOL That's the kind of luck I have….but I am feeling better now. : ) **

**Secondly, thank you again for all of your wonderful reviews and encouraging comments! You all are great!!**

**Thirdly, I am not making you wait a moment longer….read on!**

Previously:

"_As long as I am in your life, you will never be alone." I told her. _

_I stared into her beautiful brown eyes as my lips met hers. I kissed her softly at first until she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled her mouth tighter against mine. _

"_Ouch," she whimpered quietly. _

"_Bella my love, we are going to be here for a while. Let's get your head fixed up and then see what's around here to help us get more comfortable." I carefully set her down so her feet could touch the floor. _

**BPOV**

I wrapped my arms around Edward's waist and stayed tight against him. He put one arm around my shoulder and used the other hand to feel for anything in front of us. We made our way out of the back room and into the shop.

"Check by the front counter." I told him. "There are cabinets there, maybe there's a first aid kit or something."

"Good idea, we will look there first." He said moving us slowly in that direction. "We really need to find a flashlight or candle."

Strong winds were pounding the outside of the shop and rattling the walls. I clutched myself so close against Edward he will probably have an imprint of my body on his.

When we reached the counter we both looked through the cabinet beneath to find anything that would be helpful. My fingers found something we could use for sure. I found the switch and I press it hoping the batteries were good. Bright light illuminated the inside of the cabinet.

"Bella, you found a flashlight!" Edward smiled at me. "Keep holding it inside the cabinet. Hey, there's a first aid kit!" He opened the kit and was pleased at how stocked it was with supplies.

"Good thing Carlisle was a doctor. It looks like Esme has everything you could ever need in there." I commented then lay my head against his shoulder. "Is there anything for a headache by chance?"

"Actually there is. Let's grab what we need and then we can get you fixed up." Edward looked through the shelves again then reached in to grab something. "Here are some matches. Do you see any candles?"

"There is a display of candles on the shelf by the wall. We can use one of those." I suggested.

"Great, you stay here and shine the light in the direction I need to go and I will get the candles." He said jumping to his feet.

I shone the light toward the wall where I knew the display to be and then watched Edward quickly move across the shop. He was fast and his movements so smooth I was fascinated by watching him. His shirt was completely wet and clung to his body making his muscles visible through the light colored fabric.

"Um, Bella…" He said with a little laugh.

"Oh...sorry!" I giggled to myself. I didn't realize I was shining the light on him instead of where he needed to go. I got a bit distracted.

"Here they are." He said. "I am grabbing us some clean sweatpants and hoodies too. Keep track of this so I can repay Esme later."

"Edward I really don't think Esme is going to mind." I told him trembling at the sound of thunder outside. "Please hurry ba..."

My sentence was cut off by the sound of my scream. Something big and heavy smashed against the front of the shop knocking four wall shelves and all their contents to the floor. I jumped to the side to avoid being hit and the flashlight flew from my hand and turned off.

"Bella! Are you okay? Talk to me!" Edward's voice was panicked and I could hear him searching his way in the dark to find me.

"It's okay, I'm okay…damn it! Where is that flashlight?" Frustration was causing me to become stubborn. I crawled around the floor searching with my hands to find the light. Why was I such a klutz? How hard is it to just hold on to something as simple and as important as the only source of light we had? Lightning flashed over head and lit up the shop through the skylight for a brief moment.

"I see it!" I yelled, catching a glimpse of the silver handle under the edge of a display shelf. I dove towards it quickly and felt my fingers wrap around it just as everything went black once more. I stood up quickly, too quickly and felt myself losing balance. "Oh…" I fell against the shelf and ended up back on the floor. Edward swiftly made his way to my side.

"Bella," He breathed as he pulled me into his arms. "You didn't hurt yourself again did you?"

"No, I think I'm okay. I suppose I should have warned you a little better about how klutzy I can be." I sighed.

"Oh, silly Bella. Your clumsiness is part of what attracts me to you." He grinned, placed a kiss on my nose and then shook his head. "It's just a good thing I got here when I did. Now let's get this stuff in the back room."

We gathered up the supplies we needed and Edward lit our way with the flashlight. It was a lot easier to move around when we could see where we were going. The wind and rain sounded like fists pounding on the outside walls. The air had cooled tremendously and seeped in through any cracks it could find. I began to shiver. Edward grabbed a couple blankets off the storage shelf and laid one out on the floor setting the other two on top of it. I lit two candles and placed them near us.

"You have to get out of those wet clothes Edward." I told him. His arms had goosebumps and his lips quivered slightly.

"You're still bleeding a little bit. I have to get you fixed up first Bella, and then I will worry about it. Please don't move! I will be right back." He instructed.

He grabbed the flashlight and finding a bucket near the wall, he made his way through the doorway into the shop. Sitting on the blanket I brought my knees up close and wrapped my arms around them. I lay my forehead atop my arms and tried to focus on making my headache go away. It wasn't very long before Edward returned carrying the bucket and another armful of supplies.

"What else did you find?" I asked watching water slosh out of the top of the bucket as he set it down. "How did you get water?"

"There is quite a bit of it outside incase you haven't noticed." He smiled at me. His clothes once again soaking wet. He was careful not to sit on the blanket. In fact, he moved quite a ways away from it.

"Oh Edward, you mean you actually went outside!" I stared at him in shock.

"I was right outside the door. I didn't need to go any further. Now Bella, come here to me." He held his hand out. I placed my hand against my head as I crawled slowly over to him. He set the flashlight on a nearby shelf so it shone on us and once I was in front of him, he placed his hands gently on each side of my face. "We have to clean you up a bit so I can bandage your head. I am sorry the water is going to be cold, but we don't have much of a choice." His beautiful, calm eyes stared into mine. I could almost forget the raging storm around us. "I am going to rinse out your hair for you okay?"

I nodded back at him in response and let him guide me toward the bucket. Edward knelt behind me as I bent forward letting my hair dangle into the water. His one arm wrapped securely around me, he used the other hand to dip a coffee mug into the water. I felt him press tightly against my back to hold me still. He paused a moment before he poured the ice cold water over my hair. He was anticipating my reaction and I did not disappoint. I jumped at the feel of the ice cold water pouring over my head and a shriek escaped my lips.

"Baby I'm sorry, I know its cold." He apologized. The side of his face pressed up against mine as he continued to hold onto me.

"It's….o…kay." I chattered. "Just get…it…done."

I watched as the water running off my hair dripped red into the bucket. Edward never loosened his grip on me. He continued to pour cups of water over my hair. I could feel my head beginning to numb from the cold water. It even made it feel somewhat better. Or it may have just been the feeling of knowing Edward was taking care of me and I was going to be okay. I could feel his body pressed up against my back. The wetness of his clothes was seeping through to my own. Even though my body was trembling on the outside, I was feeling quite warm on the inside.

"I rinsed your hair out the best I could." He said pulling me back into his lap and wrapping a towel carefully around my head. I just couldn't stop shaking. His hands carefully dried my hair with the towel and he turned me around to look at the cut on my head. "It is not deep. That is good. Head wounds tend to bleed a lot, even if they are small."

Edward pulled the first aid kit close to his side and went to work. He handed some Tylenol to me with a water bottle and waited for me to take them. I then stared at his intent face and focused on the feel of his hands as he bandaged me up. He was so careful, so caring. I didn't even realize he had finished until I felt his hand cup my chin and tilt my face up toward his. I closed my eyes feeling his breath against my cheek as his lips brushed down my jaw and to my mouth. He kissed me very softly not wanting to hurt me. My hands went immediately around his neck and pulled his lips back to mine. I was much more intense when I kissed him back. I wanted him to know that I was okay and how glad I was to have him with me. I felt him lift me up in his arms as he stood up and walked over to the blankets. His lips never left mine as he carefully let my legs down so I could stand. His hands rested on my hips and pulled me into him. We stood this way kissing and holding each other until a loud clap up thunder made us both jump.

"Oh my gosh! Isn't this stupid hurricane done yet?" I complained. I didn't enjoy being brought back to reality.

"It shouldn't be much longer until the eye is over us. Then we can get back to the house before it all starts again." He explained. "Bella, we need to get out of these wet clothes."

I felt him tremble slightly in my arms.

"Okay sure…here you go" I handed him a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. He was trying to pull his wet shirt off but it was giving him a bit of trouble as it clung to his body. "Let me help you."

I reached up and helped him pull his shirt off, over his head. As I helped pull a dry hoodie over his shoulders I let my fingers trail down his chest. His muscles flexed beneath my cold hands. He stood still as I undid the button and zipper on his pants and then he helped me pull them down off of his legs so he could slip on the dry sweatpants.

"Wow, this is much better than those wet clothes." He murmured as he reached forward to grab the bottom of my shirt.

I placed my hands on top of his and helped him pull my shirt off. With a grin he pulled the dry hoodie over my head and trailed his fingers down my bare sides as he pulled it over me. I wrinkled my eyebrows at him as a grin spread across my lips. He then helped me pull off my damp jeans and held me steady as I put on the dry sweats. We sat down next to each other on the blanket.

"This does feel a lot better." I said as I snuggled up against him. There was nothing better than the feel of his arms around me. "Thank you Edward. Thank you for taking care of me."

"Thank you for letting me." He said as he lay back on the blanket and pulled me up against his chest. His hand found one of the other blankets and pulled it up to cover us both together. "Is your head feeling any better?"

"It feels much better." I answered. "The rain and wind seem to be calming a bit."

"It won't be much longer, maybe another hour or so. Try to get some rest." His fingers stroked my neck and my back calming me.

I must have fallen asleep because I opened my eyes when I heard Edward softly repeating my name in my ear. _Bella…Bella my love…_

"Hmm?" I mumbled.

"The eye of the storm is over us. We can head back to the house. Everyone will be worried and want to know we are okay." He said.

"Did I fall asleep? I'm sorry Edward. It was so warm in your arms. I felt so safe." I nestled my head against his shoulder and kissed his neck.

"You were tired Bella. You needed some rest so I let you sleep." He said. "It is definitely nice and warm up against you and I don't want to get up but, we need to get out of here now while we have the chance or it will be too late."

Edward stood up wrapping a blanket around himself and pulling me up next to him so we would both be covered together.

"Oh, the flashlight!" I remembered. I grabbed it quickly and moved back into the blanket with Edward as we headed for the front door.

He turned the handle slowly then carefully opened the door. Everything was so quiet outside. No wind, no rain and nothing but a clear night sky above us. It was so strange. We put the lock securely onto the front of the store and turned to make our way back to the house. Branches, rocks, and various amounts of debris littered the sidewalks and street. We moved quickly making our way around everything. Before we knew it we were walking the last block to the house.

**EMPOV **

"Emmett, quit pacing, you're making me nervous!" Rose grumbled from just inside the house.

"I can't help it Rosie. What if Edward didn't make it to the shop? How do we know they are okay if Carlisle won't let me go check?" I growled as I paced back and forth on the front porch.

"Emmett, if they weren't okay I would know it." Alice snapped at him.

"Oh really, you would know it. And exactly how would you know it huh?" I snapped back at her. "You trying to tell me you have some kind of telepathy or something crazy like that?"

"I just know. I get feelings sometimes. I can't explain it." She became frustrated.

"Leave her alone man, we know you're worried. We all are." Jasper put his arm around Alice in a protective way. "Maybe you should go out back and help Carlisle."

Carlisle had gone outside just after the eye of the hurricane moved over our area. The generator had stopped working about an hour ago and he was determined to get it going again.

"Yeah, maybe I should." I sighed in defeat. "It is hard to see out here in the dark anyway.

Just as I was turning to go back into the house, I saw a light flicker from down the street. It had to be from a flashlight or something and it was getting closer as I watched. A big bulky figure was headed our way. It was too dark to tell who it might be.

"Hello? Edward? Is that you?" I yelled down the block.

"Emmett, it's me. I have Bella." I heard Edward's voice in the dark. He did it. Bells was safe.

I jumped off the porch and ran full speed to reach them. It would have been wise to be careful where I was running and what was in my way. In the pitch dark it was hard to see so I wasn't surprised when something slippery took my footing and sent my legs sliding out from under me.

"Holy shi….umph!" I hit the ground hard.

"Emm are you okay?" Edward and Bella were now standing over me. They were wrapped together tight in a blanket and shining a flashlight down on me.

"Hey, sea monster. That's a nice look for you." Bella giggled at me. Edward started laughing with her. As I looked down at myself I noticed I was covered in seaweed.

"Eww, gross man. Someone help me up." I whined. Edward helped me to my feet and then pulled Bella back into his arms when he was finished. I noticed his protectiveness right away. I shook all the seaweed off of myself and we walked back up to the house together. Everyone was gathered on the porch as we walked up. They all gave Bella and Edward hugs and told them how happy they were that they were safe as we moved into the candlelit house. Carlisle checked the cut on Bella's head and told Edward what a wonderful job he did of fixing her up. Edward beamed at Bella and stayed right next to her side.

"Okay everyone, we are going to need to move over to the motel down the street. That generator is not going to budge and they have two large generators down there. It will be much more comfortable at the motel." He said.

"Won't it be full?" Rosalie asked. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Jack and his family are there and he was able to radio to me a bit ago that if we needed to go there, they had three rooms available and plenty of food to go around. Most of the tourists left the island before the storm hit." Carlisle told us.

"Let's go everyone. As much fun as it is to sit with candlelight, on the media room floor, I think you would rather be in beds with some electricity from a generator." Esme encouraged us.

We gathered up anything we would need and climbed into the van together after locking up the house. Carlisle maneuvered the roads perfectly and we were soon at the motel.

**A/N: **

**I bet some of you were expecting Bella and Edward to get a lot more cozy at the shop. In a damp, cold, storage room………nah! It needs to be somewhere nicer than that guys! LOL**

**Those darn generators! Sometimes they decide not to work at the worst times. I guess that means they will have to tough out the other half of the hurricane in a motel…in comfortable beds. What could possibly be exciting about that?? Hmmm……..**

**We will have to wait until next weekend….**

**I will be watching for your reviews in the mean time and as always- pardon any errors : ) **


	26. The Key To Happiness

Disclaimer:

The characters from the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We hold no rights to them otherwise. _DARN!_

**A/N: **

**I love to read all of your reviews! Wow, I was actually laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes! **

**mikenewtonh8er- nice one!! I actually pictured Emmett saying… **okay, THAT sounded REALLY wrong.

**xxXAliceInWonderlandXxx you won't be waiting much longer : ) **

**You all enjoyed the caring Edward…could he be any other way? Even I was falling more in love with him as I wrote this! He is the ultimate male! I am sooo jealous of Bella! **

**I did notice something in a few of the reviews and wanted to refresh for everyone…**

**During all the frustration of the Bella/Emmett chapters, some of you may have missed this part: **

**Chapter- The Calm Before The Storm: **

"_Don't even say that!" I frowned at him. "I so very much want to be with you Edward! You mean so much to me and I guess I should have explained earlier. We don't need any of Emmett's little foil wrapped presents. My brother has no idea I've been on the pill since I was 15 years old. It wasn't any of his business and I suppose it still isn't. My mom took me to the doctor because I was having so many problems with cramping and headaches so we all agreed that the pill would help. It was the only reason I needed to be on it…until now. I guess it works out kind of nicely. No worries." I smiled shyly up at him._

"_No worries." He replied as he let himself relax._

"_When the time is right, it will be perfect." I saw a sparkle in his eyes and I would bet he could see one in my eyes too._

**So, I hope this will help you all to feel better about the inevitable closeness of Bella and Edward. They are safe : ) Thank you for caring about them so much! It is an important issue. **

**Another important issue is the fact that I am rattling on too much!! **

**Let's get reading!**

Previously:

"_Let's go everyone. As much fun as it is to sit with candlelight, on the media room floor, I think you would rather be in beds with some electricity from a generator." Esme encouraged us. _

_We gathered up anything we would need and climbed into the van together after locking up the house. Carlisle maneuvered the roads perfectly and we were soon at the motel. _

**BPOV**

The ride to the motel didn't take long at all thank goodness. It was quiet at first until Emmett started humming.

"Da da da da…da da da…da da da da…da da da…da…da" He was grinning and staring out the window the whole time.

"Emmett…really! The theme from Indiana Jones?" Rose was staring at him.

"What? It just fit Rosie. Look at those clouds coming in…look at the roads…it's dark, it's DANGEROUS…" He gave her an evil grin.

"Oh stop it! I'll show you dangerous!" She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled his face to hers so they were eye to eye. Her brows were furrowed and she even growled at him.

"Rose, I know what you are trying to do," Emmett told her with a smirk, "but it's actually just turning me on."

"You're a piece of work Emmett Swan." Rose scolded him but couldn't keep from smiling. In fact we all started laughing at the two of them. Emmett grabbed Rose and pulled her into his lap.

"I can't believe the sky was so clear and now look at those clouds coming in. They're dark and scary!" Alice pointed out the window.

"That would be the other half of the storm Alice. We are in the center of the storm right now, the eye. I can be very deceiving because of how calm it is." Carlisle explained. "It's going to get windy and rainy all over again very soon.

"So we had an intermission to give us a break." Alice commented.

"I guess you can put it that way." Carlisle said. "We are just lucky the eye is passing over where we are. Some people have to deal with the storm nonstop without the eye passing over where they are located."

"Yikes." Alice trembled and buried herself closer into Jasper.

"The whole thing is actually very amazing!" Jasper said looking like an excited 3 year old at an amusement park.

"It's not so much fun trying to run though." Edward grumbled. "Talk about getting a workout! The only thing that kept me going was, knowing that I had to find Bella."

"I am so glad you were able to reach the shop. Bella, I'm sorry I locked you in there. I had no idea you were in the back room." Esme looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"Esme, it's not your fault. I wanted to finish putting a few things away and I should have just made sure I was out front with everyone else. It was a big mix up. Everything is okay now." I assured her. "I was scared at first. I didn't think anyone would know were I was. I was happy that Edward came to find me. I felt so much better when he was there." I looked into Edward's eyes and felt his arms tighten around me. I don't think we have let go of each other since we left the shop.

"Well everyone is okay and we're all together. That's the important thing." Esme said.

We pulled into a parking spot at the motel. The widows were all boarded up so you couldn't see any lights. The wind was starting to pick up as we climbed out of the van and we could here the sound of generators running. The parking lot was littered with branches, seaweed, broken folding chairs that came from who knows where, and palm tree leaves. There was even a palm tree lying on the top of someone's car.

"Ouch, someone's gonna have to call their insurance for that one!" said Emmett.

We sloshed through the puddles until we made it to the front door of the lobby. Jack was standing just inside the doors waiting for us.

"Well, well. Look what the storm blew in!" Jack exclaimed. "So happy you are safe my friends. We have three rooms waiting for you but there is also food there in the banquet area so please help yourselves and get comfortable."

"Food? I'm there!" smiled Emmett. "Rosie, you know where I'll be. Come on Jazz!" Emmett grabbed Jasper by the back of the shirt and they headed off toward the smell of food.

"Thank you Jack. We're glad we won't have to sit out the rest of this storm without power." Carlisle told him.

"My friend, I am glad I could help. Here are the keys for your rooms. You can all relax now. We are halfway through and the worst has already past us." Jack grinned. Carlisle handed the keys to Esme and walked off with Jack as they continued to talk.

"Okay girls, there are two rooms for you kids so split them up as you wish. You can get something to eat or just go up and relax. Just don't leave the motel." Esme said as she handed the keys to Rose.

"That's not a problem." I said and everyone else nodded. Then Esme walked off to join Carlisle.

"Alright, I need to have a human moment. Are you girls coming with me?" asked Rose. She was tipping her head to the side as she looked at Alice.

"Now that you mention it, I better go. Come on Bella, girl time." Alice said and pulled on my hand.

"I…um…" I turned to look at Edward who was still holding onto me. "I think I better go to."

"You can let her go Edward. I promise to bring her back to you as soon as we're done." Alice giggled.

"Oh, yeah sure, sorry Bella. Here, let me take the blanket for you." Edward seemed to come out of a trance. I unwrapped the blanket from around myself and passed it to him. "I'll be in the banquet room waiting for you."

He kissed my cheek and smiled then walked off toward the sound of Emmett's laughter. Alice and Rose dragged me into the ladies room and checked to make sure no one else was in there. We were alone and all of a sudden, I felt cornered.

"Alright Bella, spill it!" Alice ordered. I was surprised at how fierce she could look.

"Easy Alice, maybe Bella doesn't want to talk about being all alone with Edward, in the middle of a hurricane, in the dark…" Rose was staring at me with interest, waiting for my response.

"What exactly has gotten into the two of you?" I asked trying to back away a bit. "You're not going to eat me or anything are you?"

"Bella! You were _all alone_ with my brother for a couple of hours. What happened?" Alice was on her toes bouncing up and down.

"Well, he took that lock off the door and I was so glad to see him!" I answered with a big smile. "Then we tried to find a flashlight, which we did, and a first aid kit to fix my head, and we found that too…"

"Oh my gosh girl! Get to the good stuff!" Rose squeezed her eyes shut with frustration.

"Sure, sure" I said. "I know what you girls are looking to find out and I don't have anything to tell you."

"Are you serious? My brother hasn't taken his hands off of you since you both returned. I almost needed to pry his hands from you just to take you to the bathroom! Something must have happened." Alice grumbled.

"Yeah Bella. Why don't you tell us why you're both wearing matching sweat suits? At some point your other clothes went missing." Rose was wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"Really guys, come on. I hit my head trying to get out of that place and by the time Edward got to me, he was soaking wet from the storm. He was sweet enough to rinse the blood out of my hair and bandage my head. We both were wet, cold and needed to put on something dry so we changed, simple as that." I explained with a frown. I can see where this sounded a bit boring so I tried to give them a bit of what they were looking for. "Although we did cuddle on a blanket in the back room while we waited for the storm to let up."

"And…" encouraged Alice.

"And I fell asleep." I groaned dropping my chin to my chest. "Wow, I had him all to myself with no Emmett to interrupt and I had to ruin it by getting hurt. How pathetic is that?"

"Bella," Rose giggled. "You need some help girlfriend, and we have the ability to move you in the right direction. The rest is all up to you." Alice looked at Rose and they both turned to me with major grins on their faces.

"Exactly what are you two up to?" I was almost afraid to ask.

"We hold the key to your happiness." Alice giggled and bounced around the bathroom as Rose's laughter echoed off the walls.

"You two are nuts!" I stared in amazement unsure of what they were talking about. "Absolutely nuts! I'd stay away from any squirrels if I were either of you!"

"Rose you better explain. Bella is a little slow tonight. Must be the bump on her head." Alice laughed.

"The key Bella…the key to your happiness is in my hand." Rose lifted a room key and held it up between us. "We are going to make sure that you and Edward get a room to yourselves. Now do you understand? You have to go along with this. Don't say anything and just follow our lead."

"But…how…Emmett is going to…"I started.

"Emmett is not going to even have a clue until it's too late for him to do anything about it. I'll take care of Emmett." Rose smiled slyly. "Don't even worry about him. Besides, I don't think Emmett is going to give you so much crap anymore. He was very impressed that Edward risked going out in the storm to find you."

"He didn't even give anyone the chance to argue with him about going." Alice said. "Edward was so full of determination he would have fought anyone who tried to stop him. I have never seen him care so much for a girl that he would risk his life like that just to make sure she was okay. There is no doubt that he is head over heals in love with you Bella. I think Emmett saw that in him too."

"Bella, take this key." Said Rose. "There are two keys for both rooms. I'm going to give the extra key for your room to Edward and tell him it's a key for the boy's room and that we're using the other room. You just need to go up to your room before Edward does and be there when he comes in to surprise him. Whatever happens after that is up to you." She smiled.

"I…I don't know what to say." I smiled. "I have never been attracted to any boy the way I am to Edward. It's like my heart and soul belong to him. That sounds so crazy. I haven't even known him long enough. What if this is some school girl crush?"

"You two are so meant to be together. I didn't think I would ever see my brother look at a girl the way he looks at you." Alice sighed. "In fact, I was worrying…that maybe he might be…"

"ALICE!" Rose and I shouted and laughed together.

"Well, how was I supposed to know he was waiting for his true love to appear to him like an angel above the clouds? Granted we were on a plane…" Alice pondered. "Strange how things happen isn't it? When I locked eyes with Jasper at that airport, I just knew he was the one I would spend the rest of my life with. It felt like he was the one I have always been waiting to meet."

"Alice are you predicting your future again?" Rose asked. We all began to laugh and stopped abruptly when we heard a knock on the door.

"Um, Alice…Rose…Bella? Is everything okay in there?" It was Jasper sounding a bit uncomfortable. "I lost the bet and they sent me to check on you."

"Jazz honey; tell them we did not fall in!" Alice shouted with a giggle. "We'll be right out."

"Okay, hurry up or they'll send me back." He said and we heard him walking away.

We continued to laugh as we hurried up and used the facilities. I was washing my hands as we waited for Alice and Rose walked up behind me.

"How is your head feeling?" She asked pulling a brush from her purse.

"Much better. It just hurts in the spot where I cut it but only if I touch it." I said.

"Well I'll avoid that spot then. We need to do something about your hair." Rose said scrunching up her nose at me as she looked at all the tangles.

She proceeded to carefully and quickly brush out my hair until it was tangle free. It looked so much better when she was finished. It even made me feel better when I looked in the mirror. I was still holding the room key in my hand and I tucked it carefully into the pocket of my hoodie. _Okay, I am ready_.

"Thank you Rose." I told her with a smile. She gave me a quick hug and Alice grabbed both of our hands and hurried us out the door.

We found the boys sitting on couches arranged in the corner of the room. They had plates full of food on the coffee table in front of them. It seemed everyone at the motel was gathered together in this room. Carlisle and Esme were chatting with a few couples at one of the tables and everyone was laughing and happy to be together. It must be much more relaxing to be around a lot of people you're friends with when there is a storm like this. It feels safe here.

"Bella." Edward stood up when he saw me and held out his hand. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel just fine." I said looking into his eyes and placing my hands in his. I didn't even realize we were standing there gazing at each other until Jasper's shout broke us out of our trance. Edward pulled me down onto the couch with him and I scooted myself as close to him as I could get.

"Ha! I win. In your face Emmett!" Jasper beamed.

"How did you know she was going to take an apple? I thought for sure she was eyeing the cinnamon rolls!" Emmett growled.

"What kind of messed up games are you boys playing now?" Rose scowled.

"We're trying to bet on what kind of dessert each lady will choose when they come up to the food table." Emmett explained. "Oh, here come four ladies at once."

"That's easy." Said Alice. "Four chocolate cakes."

"No way!" Said Emmett. "The blonde is taking a cinnamon roll."

We watched as the ladies contemplated the choices. Then one after each other they all grabbed a piece of chocolate cake. Emmett slapped himself in the head.

"No freakin way!" He grumbled. We all rolled with laughter as we watched Emmett slide off the couch and onto the floor.

"Relax Emmett." Said Alice. "I heard them talking about how good the chocolate cake was when we passed by their table. It was the logical guess. Nothing psychic about it."

"You had me worried!" He looked relieved. "Jasper would have used you every time we had a bet! I never would have won."

"I'd never use Alice like that Emmett." Jasper complained.

"Jazz, you can use me any way you want to." Alice winked. Jasper blushed as Alice sat on his lap.

"Emmett are you getting off the floor?" Rose asked.

She sat on the couch behind him and straddled her legs on each side of him. Her hands massaged his shoulders and slid down his chest till her face was next to his ear. I am not sure what she was whispering to him but Emmett's face actually turned red. It's not easy to embarrass my brother. _Maybe I never want to know what she said!_

"So why is all this food sitting her getting cold?" I asked.

"We grabbed a little bit of everything so we could all share it." Said Edward. "Everyone grab a plate and take what you like."

"Oh, here's some bottled water." Jasper said as he tossed a bottle to each of us.

"Grilled chicken, yum!" said Rose. "Where did they get all of this food? The power went out rather quickly once the storm started."

"I guess they anticipate things like that. They had their gas grills going and cooked up all this food a few hours before the storm started." Said Edward. "Then they just keep it warm with the sterno heaters. There is plenty of ice in the coolers for the cold stuff."

"It pays to hang with the natives." Emmett said with a mouth full of food.

We talked as we ate all the food the boys had brought over. Then we went up for dessert. Emmett didn't want us to guess what he really wanted for dessert, so he took a little of everything. I finished eating first, and then Edward. We sat back on the couch and I snuggled up against him with his arms wrapped around me. I was so comfortable I didn't want to move. We listened to Jasper tell us about what they were doing at the house while we were stuck in the shop. Then they started teasing each other. I felt Edward lean forward and place his head on my shoulder.

"Bella, are you getting tired?" He asked. His warm breath on my ear sent a tingle through my whole body.

"No, I'm okay." I answered but then I quickly changed my mind. "Or actually, maybe I am a little tired." Rose and Alice both looked at me and smiled.

"Hey maybe you need to go lay down Bella." Said Rose. "You do look tired. I gave you our room key just in case."

"Yeah Bella." Said Alice. "You go ahead. We're going to stay down here for a little longer." Emmett and Jasper shrugged their shoulders and went back up to the table for more dessert.

"You girls have one room and we have the other?" Edward asked with a frown. "I guess that makes sense. Do you want me to walk you up Bella?"

"I'm okay, but thank you." I said as I stood up biting my cheek to keep from smiling. "Goodnight Edward."

Edward stood up with me and pulled me close to him. He placed his hands on my face and looking into my eyes.

"I won't be far away." He said before his lips touched mine. He kissed me so sweetly I didn't want to leave. "Go get some rest."

"Edward." Rose called. "Take your room key. If I give it to one of them it may end up lost on the dessert table." She pointed at Emmett and Jasper filling their plates.

"Goodnight Rose, goodnight Alice." I said before turning to leave.

"Goodnight Bella." They chimed happily together.

When I rounded the corner I quickly found the hallway to my room and let myself in. I shut the door quietly behind me and knew I only had a few minutes before Edward would decide to go to his room too. I felt the biggest grin light up my face. I had a few minutes before Edward realized _that his room was __**our room **__and I was waiting here for him._

**A/N: **

**Okay, okay this rubber band is about to snap! I don't think I can stretch it out any longer…although I bet that I could if I wanted to! LOL Yeah…no….**

**I am even yelling at myself to put Edward and Bella together already! I hear you, I really really do. **

**Have a glass filled with ice and sugar for the next chapter…Lemons are on the way!**

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts on the review page : ) **


	27. I'm Betting On Alice And Rose

Disclaimer:

The characters from the Twilight Series belong to the absolutely talented Stephenie Meyer. We hold no rights to them otherwise. _DARN!_

**A/N: **

**I am so happy to have Doran back to write this chapter with me! It's what we've been working towards throughout the whole story. Thanks Doran, you're the best! **

**OMECoven is happily teaming up to write your long awaited scene.**

**Alright review crew and all readers of AKU…**

**Time to relieve some of that- SEXUAL TENSION!!**

**Are you ready?? Are you still reading this A/N?? Or have you already blown me off and you're reading the chapter?? LMAO **

**Yeah, well you have all been so wonderful I really need to let you read.**

**Enjoy…**

Previously:

_When I rounded the corner I quickly found the hallway to my room and let myself in. I shut the door quietly behind me and knew I only had a few minutes before Edward would decide to go to his room too. I felt the biggest grin light up my face. I had a few minutes before Edward realized that his room was __**our room **__and I was waiting here for him._

**EMPOV**

I quickly headed over to the dessert table. Jasper was right on my heels. There were so many people here yet the food was still overwhelming. It didn't look like we had touched any of it. I had absolutely no problem filling another plate with food.

"Ah Emmett my man, I see you are enjoying the fine selection of food we have here." Jack's friendly voice sounded beside me.

"Jack this is great. Where did all this food come from?" I asked.

"Whatever is refrigerated and we cannot freeze, we just cook it all up before the storm. That would include the businesses and the residents. We pool everything together and help each other out. There will be food for a few days." He explained. "It works out well since we will be out of power for at least that long. We have coolers loaded with tons and tons of ice in the back for leftovers. It's a hurricane party my man. What else would you expect?!" Jack's laughter sounded throughout the room.

"Well, thanks for letting us join in with you." Jasper said.

"Anything for Carlisle and Esme, Anything they need." Jack patted us both on the shoulder and walked off to chat with some friends.

"Geez Emmett. You're actually going to eat all that?" Jasper stared at my plate.

"You know it. I'm hungry enough to eat a bear!" I laughed. I loaded a plate with chocolate cake and another plate with some buffalo wings.

"You know, that does look pretty good." Jasper admitted and then filled two plates the same way.

We walked back over to the couches and sat down with Alice and Rose. They both stared at our heaping plates of food as we dug into the wings.

"You're both going to eat all that?" Rose asked incredulously.

"I thought maybe it would look real pretty sitting here on the empty table." I said with a serious look on my face. "Of course we're going to eat all that. Why else would we have put it on our plates?"

"There's a lot of food there Jasper." Alice frowned at him. "And you both already ate a plate full."

"We're still hungry." Jasper told Alice with a smile.

"I've got to see this," smirked Rose. "I bet there is no way you can clear all of that cake off of your plates."

"Oh really?" I grinned at her. "Do I hear a bet being made?"

"Why yes, yes you do big boy," said Alice standing up in front of him.

"And what exactly are you betting little pixie?" I challenged.

"Rose, may I have a moment with you?" Alice asked.

Rose hopped up from her seat on the couch and walked a few yards away with Alice. They were leaning into each other having a serious conversation. Every few minutes they would giggle loudly and look over at us.

"This cannot be good." Jasper sounded a bit worried as he ate another wing.

"Don't worry Jazz. We have this one in the bag. You said you were still hungry right?" I asked.

"Well yeah, but I didn't know there was going to be betting involved." Jasper looked down at his plate of food and stared at the giant piece of cake waiting for him.

"This shouldn't be a problem man." I grinned with confidence licking the buffalo sauce off my finger.

Rose and Alice turned and came back over to us. They each had a smirk on their faces and Rose was even biting her lip trying not to laugh out loud. I stared them both down as they approached but on the inside I was starting to feel a bit worried.

"We're going to wait for you to finish eating those wings…" Alice began.

"We're almost finished." I laughed. Jasper smiled beside me as we both picked up another wing and quickly cleaned the meat off the bones.

"And…" Alice continued. "When you're ready for the cake, you will only have 2 minutes to eat it."

"Alice honey, this is an easy bet." Jasper looked at me and we both nodded.

"But…"Alice raised a finger in front of us. "You will be blindfolded while you eat the cake and…you can't use your hands."

"Okay, and if we eat the cake in 2 minutes what wonderful prize do we get?" I asked with a grin.

"Sweetie, if you both finish in 1 minute you can come back to our room with us and…well, you'll just have to see when what happens if you win," said Rose.

"And what if we don't finish in time?" asked Jasper.

"Don't even answer that." I said rather loudly as I began to laugh. "Jazz, this is a piece of cake."

"You are just so funny Emmett." Alice laughed and set a room key on the table in front of us. "Now get on your knees!"

Rose was grinning from ear to ear. I looked at Jasper and he was shrugging his shoulders.

I honestly didn't see where there was a challenge. We've done things like this millions of times in college. We finished off our last wing and moved the empty plate aside making room for the plate full of cake. Both Jasper and I knelt on the floor in front of the coffee table and clasped our hands behind our backs. Alice managed to find two towels to wrap around our eyes so we couldn't see. A crowd had gathered to watch.

"Alright boys, blindfolds stay on until time is up." Rose announced. "Three…two…one…GO!"

I knew the plate was just below my face but I cautiously lowered my head until I felt the cake touch my lips. At that point I attacked the cake like it was something I hunted down in the forest. Frosting was sticking to my cheeks and I even inhaled some cake up my nose but there was no way I was slowing down. This was an easy bet and I was definitely planning on going back to Rose's room. I moved my face all around the plate making sure nothing was left then lifted my head. I heard the crowd in front of us start to chant. Ten…nine…eight…I grinned from ear to ear knowing Rose was mine…four…three…two…one. Loud clapping and laughing exploded from the crowd as I pulled the blindfold off my eyes. I looked over at Jasper and he was pulling off his blindfold too. We both smiled and looked at our plates. They were empty except for a few crumbs and our faces were full of frosting.

"Yeah baby!" I bumped fists with him and looked around for Rose.

"Hey, where are the girls?" Jasper asked as he scanned the crowd for Alice.

"As soon as Rose said GO those girls took off for the hallway." Jack laughed. "You may think you won the bet, but the ladies have the upper hand. At least they left a room key on the table for you."

"What the hell?" I grumbled. "Jasper hurry!"

I grabbed the key and we both jumped up and ran for the hallway. We searched the room numbers quickly to match up with the key.

"Here it is." Jasper whispered. "But I don't hear anything."

"Aw shit, they must have given us our own room key and they went to their room without us." I complained. "We won the freakin bet. I want my prize!"

"At least we can get washed up Emm." Jasper grinned. "Then we can hunt them down and make them pay up."

I slid the key in the door and walked into our room. It was very dimly lit. The generators supplied minimal power. Just as my eyes were adjusting I felt Jasper grab onto my arm.

"Um, Emm…do you…do you see what I see?" He asked.

"Uh huh," I answered. Nodding my head and smiling like a fool.

There were two beds in front of us with a beautiful girl lying on each. Rose and Alice were propped up smiling at us.

"Go wash your faces you silly boys." Rose giggled. "Then hurry back to bed."

Jasper and I looked at each other then raced for the bathroom. We each grabbed a towel, washed off the frosting, and bound back to the beds jumping on them and causing the girls to giggle as they bounced around.

"Alright, what is going on here?" I looked down at Rose as I stood above her on the bed. "How did you even know we would win the bet?"

"Of course you would win," giggled Alice. "We just wanted to make it back to the room before you did."

"Why is that a big deal?" Jasper asked Alice as he slid down on the bed next to her and pulled her up against him.

"So we could make sure things worked out perfectly." Rose answered.

"Okay, okay what is…" I paused as I thought of something. "Whose room is this? Your room or our room? Because we were suppose to room boys and girls and then Carlisle and Esme have their own room right?"

"This," said Alice waving her arms around to indicate the room "is _our_ room. Me, Rose, you and Jasper together; _our_ room."

"So, Carlisle and Esme have a room, we are in this room and Bella is sharing a room with Edward? _Oh shit_!" I groaned. "Did they plan this?"

"Emmett, it was our idea. Alice and I planned this. Alice predicted that it would all work out and I was betting on Alice. We felt Bella deserved a chance to relax so we wouldn't let her argue. Even Edward had no idea what was going on." Rose explained.

"Although I'm sure he's well aware of it now!" Alice giggled. "They've had a nice head start on some alone time. And no one is going to interrupt that are they?"

I felt Alice's eyes like laser beams on me. If looks could kill I'd be a goner. I noticed Rose was staring at me too.

"Why do I get the Stink Eye?" I grumbled. Jasper raised an eyebrow at me and shook his head. "Fine, you win. I might have been a bit overbearing before with Bella, but it's all cool now. I've seen that Edward's not just being a typical guy and hitting on her for a good time. I admit that. He's obviously proved that he cares for her above anything else. I trust him to take care of her. I'm backing off okay?"

"Oh Emmett, you're a sweetheart," Rose purred. "Now lie down and take care of me."

I turned out the light on the night stand and crawled under the covers with Rose. I let my hands roam up and down her body as I pulled her tightly against me and kissed her delicious lips.

"Um guys, you're not alone in this room so behave yourselves please," Alice smirked. "Jasper! Watch where you put your hands, that tickles."

We all burst out laughing. After a few scary ghost stories, I fell asleep with my Rosie curled up against me.

**EPOV**

I tried to sit still and enjoy Emmett and Jasper's feeding frenzy at the buffet table but I couldn't stop looking toward the staircase. Watching Bella walk away alone took my teenage, hormone addled, brain straight to the gutter. I really wanted to spend some alone time with her before everyone else headed to bed and saw this as a prime opportunity. I looked around and everyone seemed to be engorged in either conversation or food. I slowly stood up from the table and made my way toward the staircase. As I looked back, Jack gave me a knowing look and a wink. I couldn't help chuckling as I made my way up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

I made it to the second floor without breaking a sweat and turned down the hall to my room. I decided to take a quick shower before heading to Bella's room. I couldn't hide the perpetual, goofy grin that was plastered across my face as I opened the hotel room door. I walked into the room and immediately froze as the door closed softly behind me. I could hear the shower running and I had to reopen the door to check the room number. _Okay, this is the right room number._ I closed the door quietly and slowly stepped further into the room. _Who is taking a shower in my room? _

As I made my way to the bathroom a beautiful, angelic sound filled my ears. A siren song filled with the most beatific melody, like how sailors would describe mermaids singing, but symphonized with harps. I stopped at the doorway and peaked in only to be met by the most enticing, sexiest view of a woman I had ever seen. Bella was in the shower, signing to herself, unaware of the voyeur watching her. Through the frosted glass I could see the outline of her body, her sensuous womanly curves, being draped in a sudsy blanket. I envied the soap that clung to her body, running down her long legs. My breath hitched in my throat causing Bella to look up from her task. I stepped back out of the doorway before she caught me ogling her.

I was breathing heavily and could feel my heart pounding in my chest. My head was spinning with the image of Bella in the shower. A part of me felt guilty that I watched her without her knowledge or consent but I quickly pushed that aside, convincing myself that I had no idea it was her in the shower. _Sure Edward, convince away you perverted voyeur. _I shook the thoughts from my head and tried to decide what to do next. Should I stay and wait for her to come out of the bathroom or should I leave and come back? What was she doing in my room? Not that I was complaining but my curiosity was piqued. I started pacing the room, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger, completely unaware that the shower had turned off or that I was being watched.

I heard someone clear their throat and looked up to see Bella standing in the doorway of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. Water was beading down her arms and legs and her wet hair was draped over one shoulder. My mouth hung agape, my eyes wide, as she smiled at me.

"Hi Edward." She said teasingly, a sly smile across her lips and a beautiful blush coloring her cheeks.

"Bella," I was lost for words and all I could think to say was her name.

"You're early; I wasn't expecting you just yet." She must have had the same "shower first" thought as I did.

"Bella…." I continued to stare at her and I must have made her feel uncomfortable because she blushed and looked down at the ground.

"Hope you don't mind me using your shower." She said as she gestured to the bathroom with a turn of her shoulder.

I walked toward her, stopping right in front of her, cupping her chin in my palm. "Of course I don't mind you using my shower but I have to ask, how did you get in my room? Not that I'm complaining of course but I'm curious. I thought the girls were all staying in one room and the boys another." I smiled reassuringly at her and she returned the gesture.

"Alice and Rose," she stated matter-of-factly. "You know how they are always scheming and devising their little plans, well they wanted us to be able to spend some time together." She was smiling, her brown eyes sparkling.

"I see, so this is _our _room then or is this temporary?" I asked her, trying to keep the anxious edge out of my tone. I wanted nothing more than to be able to spend the night with Bella in my arms, finally without interruptions.

"It's our room, all night. Alice and Rose are bunking with Emmett and Jasper for the night." A beautiful pink blush colored her cheeks when she said the words, all night.

"Remind me to thank them for their generosity." I whispered as I leaned in and pressed my lips softly against hers. She retuned the kiss and I cupped her face with both hands as she placed her palms on my chest. I deepened the kiss, our tongues entwining, and felt a wave of passion encircle us. She raised her arms to place them around my neck and leaned in, pressing her body against mine causing me to freeze.

"Edward, what's wrong?" She asked me, a bit of anxiousness in her tone.

I couldn't answer her; I looked down between where our bodies touched and my eyes widened. "Um Bella……." She didn't realize that raising her arms had caused her towel to unravel and fall to the floor. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her beautiful body, wanting to drink every ounce of her in.

"Oops." She said with a giggle.

I looked up to meet her gaze and she was blushing but I could see a determination in her eyes. She leaned forward again, pressing her bare chest against me, and I could feel her warmth through my thin shirt. She pressed her lips to mine and reignited our passionate kiss. I was so enraptured by her kiss that I didn't realize what she was doing until I felt a cool breeze hit my chest. I broke our kiss and looked down again; she had unbuttoned my shirt and was slowly tugging it off. I softly gripped her wrists, stopping her, and looked up to see her chewing on her bottom lip.

"Bella……are you sure you want to do this?" I said as I softly rubbed my thumb over her bottom lip.

"Yes Edward, I want to do this, with you." She said sincerely and I could hear the love in her voice. She was ready and I was ready and I saw no reason to postpone taking our love to the next level. I gave her a crooked smile and swept her off her feet, carrying her to the bed.

"Edward!" She exclaimed before giving me that adorable giggle I loved so much.

I placed her in the center of the bed and looked down, taking in her beautiful form from head to toe. "You are so beautiful Bella."

She blushed and started to bring her hands up to cover herself. I knelt on the bed grasping her hands softly before bringing them up to my mouth. "Please, don't cover yourself. You truly are the most beautiful, sensuous, amazing woman I have ever met. You have nothing to be ashamed of and I will never tire of seeing your beauty." I then placed a soft kiss on each knuckle, then her palms before releasing her hands. She smiled up at me, blushing, and placed her hands at her sides.

I removed my shirt, tossing it to the floor, and joined her on the bed. I kissed her eyelids, her forehead, her cheeks and the tip of her nose before claiming her mouth in a heated kiss. As we kissed our hands wandered and explored each other's bodies. My hands cupped her perfect breasts as my mouth devoured her neck. I trailed feather light kisses along her collar bone before replacing my hands with my mouth. Bella released a soft moan and arched her back causing me to shudder.

"Oh Bella, do you have any idea what you do to me? What kind of effect you have on me?" I murmured into her soft skin as I continued my ministrations, lavishing her body with affection and kisses. I was straddling her body, my knees on either side of her hips, as her hands ran up and down my back causing goose bumps to rise wherever she touched.

"Edward…….." She moaned and I moved up to capture her mouth in another heated kiss. I couldn't get enough of her; I could kiss her forever and never tire. My hand trailed down her chest, over her stomach, stopping at her most intimate place. I began to tease and touch, bringing her close to the edge as we continued to kiss passionately. I felt her hands drape softly down my chest, gripping the waistband of my jeans. She unbuttoned them and began to pull down the zipper before I stopped her again.

"Bella, I need to be certain…..are you sure you want to do this?" I was panting and wasn't sure I'd be able to stop if we went any further.

"Yes Edward, I'm sure. If there is anything I'm more certain of, it's this."

I nodded and sat up to remove my jeans and then underwear. Bella watched me with wide eyes as she propped herself on the bed with her elbows. I blushed as I watched her watch me intently, before leaning down to capture her mouth again. I continued teasing her with my hand as she moaned and arched her back.

"Edward….now." She said in a husky, lust filled voice.

I stared into her beautiful eyes, a wave of panic and anxiety overtaking me. "Bella, I'm scared I'm going to hurt you."

"It's okay Edward." She said reassuringly as she rubbed her tiny hands up and down my arms.

I nodded and placed myself at her apex, leaning in to kiss her as I slowly pushed forward breaking past her virginity. She gasped and gripped my shoulders causing me to stop.

"Are you okay? God, did I hurt you?" I was panicking, fearful that I caused her pain.

She winced a little before telling me reassuringly, "No, no….I'm fine now."

"Do you want to stop? We can stop right now Bella."

"No Edward, I don't want you to stop. Please….keep going." She smiled at me and leaned up to kiss me sweetly.

"Okay….but if it becomes too much you tell me and I'll stop. Promise?" I wanted to keep going but the thought of Bella not enjoying herself or worse, me causing her discomfort, would cause me to end this right now.

"I promise." She said as she wiggled underneath me causing me to gasp.

"Ah, you are a little tease….an angelic vixen sent down from Heaven to capture my heart." I said huskily as I began to move my hips.

It took us a few minutes to find a matching rhythm, two virgins trying not to embarrass themselves with their inexperience. Once we found it, our bodies moved in harmony. We fit perfectly together like two pieces of a puzzle and the heady, amazing sensations ran through our bodies succinctly.

"Oh Bella…" I couldn't help but say her name over and over again as our bodies melded together.

"Edward…" Hearing her say my name in such a passionate way made my love for her overflow.

We continued making love until we both found our way over the climatic cliff. Together we peaked, bursts of light and fireworks exploding around us. Bella screamed my name as I yelled hers…our love at a crescendo…..our relationship sealed in the most carnal way.

I collapsed onto Bella's chest, trying to keep my weight off her as our breathing evened out. She stroked my hair and wrapped her arms around me comfortingly, lovingly.

"I love you Bella." I whispered to her.

"I love you too Edward." She whispered back sincerely.

I rolled over to the side and collected her in my arms. She placed her head on my chest and I stroked her hair and back as we both fell into a heavy sleep.

I awoke the next morning to find myself on my side with Bella's back tucked perfectly into my chest. Her hair was disheveled and she was sleeping with the faintest of smiles across her face. I lightly trailed my fingers down her arms and down her side to her hip. She stirred a little and rolled over onto her back; she was so beautiful and she was all mine. I couldn't help myself as I trailed my fingers across her chest, watching goose bumps raise where my fingers touched.

"Mmmm, morning." She murmured sleepily.

"Good morning my love, sleep well." I asked as I placed soft kisses on her face and chest.

"Mmmmhmmm, you?"

"It was the best sleep I've ever had, made even more perfect because you were with me." I let my hand trail lower beneath the sheets as I continue to lavish affection to her chest.

"OH!" Her eyes popped open wide and she glared at me.

"And this is quickly becoming the best morning I've ever had," I said with a mischievous grin.

I moved up her neck to her mouth and we began to kiss again with all the passion and love we had for one another. Our bodies began to entwine and mesh and I could quickly see we were headed for round two.

BANG, BANG "Bella! Edward! Wake up!"

We were interrupted, and quite rudely, by Emmett's incessant banging and yelling through the door. I sighed but quickly removed my hands from their precarious places and pulled the sheet up to cover Bella.

"Did you lock the door?" Bella whispered to me with a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Yes, don't worry…he's not coming in." I whispered back with a chuckle.

"BELLA!!" Emmett bellowed through the door again.

"Alright, alright Emmett….we're up." Bella yelled back with an irritated tone.

"Um…by _UP _you mean awake right? Not um…you know _UP?_" Emmet questioned through door with a softer tone.

I couldn't help laughing loudly at Emmett's question, knowing firsthand that if he hadn't interrupted the latter part of his question would have been true. I wasn't upset that he interrupted, I was getting used to interruptions, because I was grateful beyond words that we at least had last night together.

"Emmett….you idiot! We'll be down in a few." Bella yelled with a chuckle.

"Okay, okay….see you in a few." Emmett bellowed back, surely waking the entire floor.

I climbed out of bed and walked toward the bathroom, stopping as I heard a giggle. I looked over my shoulder and Bella was staring at my behind. I should have been embarrassed as I realized I was still nude but instead I merely chuckled.

"Like the view?" I asked as I wiggled my butt. Bella merely nodded and laughed louder.

"I'm going to take a shower. Want to um…join me? You know, to do our part to help the environment by conserving water." I said as a crimson blush colored my face.

"Hmm, let me think…well, we could finish up where we left off in the bed WHILE we help conserve water." She said demurely before winking at me.

My eyes went wide but I couldn't stop my head from nodding. She got out of the bed and walked toward me, my eyes watching the sway of her hips. She placed her hand on my chest and leaned up to kiss me before going into the bathroom and starting the shower. I wasn't certain whom I needed to thank but I was thankful. I was blessed with the most perfect girlfriend I guy could ever ask for and I was head over heels in love with her. I turned around and made my way into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind me.

**A/N: **

**Finally, no interruptions!! At least not at the important part! That very first time…LOL **

**That darn Emmett…Gotta love him! **

**Let us know what you think? Was it sweet, too sweet or the perfect Bella and Edward? **

**Next chapter up within the week…see you then! **

**Thanks for reading…thanks for your reviews!**


	28. Stairwell Encounters

Disclaimer:

All Twilight Characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. She is a lucky, lucky lady! We promise to put them back in their book when we have finished playing with them.

**A/N: **

**SWEET! **

**The word of the day or at least the word for last chapter. LOL **

**With Bella and Edward their first time couldn't have been any other way. Although, I can't promise they will be so sweet the next time : ) **

**We are always happy to see new readers and we love that you are starting from the beginning and catching up to where we are now. That is awesome! **

**If you like this story…tell all your friends!!**

**voldemortperfumes- I agree with your review! Bella just wasn't about to admit it. She toughed it out to keep Edward from worrying too much like she knew he would.**

**Smw- Thank you so much!!**

**Knd3116- Definitely no pregnant Bella story here. Rest assured, she was taking precautions. She mentions it back in the chapter titled…The Calm Before The Storm.**

**oxsvcullenox555- I will see what I can do about a lemon in BPOV…hmmm**

**Since there is such a love for our cute, sometimes annoying, Emmett, I thought I would give a whole chapter to his POV!**

**I believe we need a bit of entertaining laughter….Oh Emmett!!...**

Previously:

_My eyes went wide but I couldn't stop my head from nodding. She got out of the bed and walked toward me, my eyes watching the sway of her hips. She placed her hand on my chest and leaned up to kiss me before going into the bathroom and starting the shower. I wasn't certain whom I needed to thank but I was thankful. I was blessed with the most perfect girlfriend I guy could ever ask for and I was head over heels in love with her. I turned around and made my way into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind me. _

**EMPOV**

_Ohmygod! Did I actually say that?_

"_by_ _**UP**__you mean awake right? Not…you know __**UP**__?"_

_What was I thinking? Of course they would have assumed I meant awake! No, I had to let them know I was nervous about other things too. Grrr! Way to go Emmett!_

"Emmett? Are you okay?" I heard the sweet sound of Rose's voice as she approached me in the hallway.

"Uh, yeah. Sure Rose. I'm fine." I answered. I knew by the look on her face she wasn't buying it.

"You're staring at that door and the wall and making faces. Are you sure everything is okay?" I felt her touch my arm.

"Yeah, yeah. No problem. Let's go downstairs." I told her as I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her to my side.

Rose gave me a smile and I watched her glance over at the room Bella and Edward were staying in. We walked toward the stairway not saying a word. As we descended the first flight of stairs she paused to look out the narrow window. The wind was just a slight breeze through the palm trees and a slow steady rain continued to fall from the gray sky. It was nowhere like the weather we had during the night. I was glad the worst of the storm had moved on. We could see the litter of debris and slight damage to some of the businesses but nothing too major.

I stood behind Rose as we continued to look out the window. Wrapping my arms around her, I let my head rest on her shoulder and began nibbling on her ear. She wiggled in my arms and I heard a soft sound escape her lips.

"Mmm, Emmett. I am proud of you." She said.

"Well of course you are. You didn't think I could figure out how to turn you on so easily did you?" I asked. Rose froze in my arms and turned her head so she could see my face. Her eyes were wide and her brows furrowed.

"Do you need to be medicated? Your mind goes from one thing to the next in a matter of seconds!" She looked astounded. "I was talking about your sister."

"Bella? What about her? Do you know something I should know?" I frowned.

"Oh for the love of…Emmett, I'm proud that you are doing better with Bella." She groaned and then smiled at me. "You are letting her have some space. That's very respectful of you."

"Well, I guess she deserves it. She's a good kid and I know she'll make good choices." I admitted. "I'm just here if she needs me." Rose turned her body in my arms until she was facing me.

"That would make you an awesome big brother." Rose grinned and her voice dropped to a very sultry purr. "So…tell me…have you found any other ways to turn me on? Hmmm?"

"Oh, I have a few things I would like to try out on you." I grinned from ear to ear and wiggled my eyebrows up and down.

Rose wrapped her arms around my neck and rubbed her cute nose up against mine. She stared straight into my eyes while her tongue slid slowly across my lips. I growled as my hands left her back and slid down over her bottom and up to her hips. I pulled her tightly into me as I kissed her and parted her lips with my tongue. She gladly opened her mouth and let her tongue stroke mine very softly. She was teasing me and I loved every minute of it.

I moved my hands down the sides of her hips and around the front of her legs. Then I moved them in between her thighs and dragged my fingers slowly up. As I reached her center I moved them back to the front of her legs and up over her stomach until my thumbs grazed over the front of her chest. I felt her arousal through the soft, thin t-shirt she was wearing and moved my hands up placing them on the sides of her face as I rested my forehead on hers.

"Emm, you're turning me on." She whispered and sucked my bottom lip into her mouth.

"You're turning _me_ on." I panted and reached around to her bottom pulling her against me so there was no space between us. There was also no doubt exactly how turned on I was at that moment. "How would you like to ride the waves from Hurricane Emmett?"

"I don't think we're prepared for a storm like that?" She smirked and kissed her way down my chin to my neck. I felt a tremor go through my body all the way down to my toes.

"I promise you I will always be prepared." I was breathing heavier and my heart was pounding in my chest. "I could never turn _you_ down. I actually have a nice, new, _colorful_ supply of raincoats." I gave her a very cheesy grin and Rose started to laugh.

"Emmett! Tell me why I'm so attracted to you when you are definitely certifiable?" She was shaking her head as she continued to laugh.

"Just think Rosie," I said as seriously as I could, "If I put on the green one we could pretend that my Godzilla was taking over your Tokyo!"

"Emmett Swan!" She shrieked with laughter and shoved me back away from her. Tears were streaming down her cheeks from laughing so hard.

I walked to the other side of the landing and turned around to face her. I put on my best monster face and brought my arms up in front of me shaping my hands into claws. Waddling side to side and stomping my feet as I moved toward her, I growled using my Godzilla imitation.

"Emmett, stop!" She giggled and backed herself against the wall.

I kept coming forward and within a few step I was right up against her breathing heavily into her ear. My hands wrapped into her gorgeous hair and I pushed my mouth on top of hers kissing her hard. I felt her hands grab my backside and this time she pulled me into her body. _Oh Yeah!_

"Yo Dude! Get a room!" Jasper's voice echoed in the stairwell causing me to jump a foot in the air. Alice giggled loudly beside him.

"Argh! Interruptions are so annoying!" I complained. "You see two people all into each other…why do you feel the need to interrr…Oh Crap!"

Jasper, Alice and Rose burst into laughter at my expense. Even I had to crack a smile at the words coming out of my pie hole.

"Snap! The king of interruptions just got a taste of his own medicine!" Alice managed to say in between her laughter. "Karma is such a wonderful thing!"

"Alright already! I'm standing in the stairwell with a bunch of hyenas." I shook my head with a smile.

At that moment, the door at the bottom of the stairway opened and a wonderful smell wafted up to us.

"Sweet Mother of Pearl!" Alice moaned.

"I smell coffee!" Both her and Rose shrieked at that same time and ran the rest of the way down the steps giggling and almost running over the two girls coming through the door.

The girls moved to the side and gave our girls a dirty look as they rolled their eyes and continued up the stairs. Jasper and I were frozen in place as the two blondes reached the landing beside us.

"Well hello boys." They grinned in a devilish way.

"Sheri, Dawn" I stammered. "Wha…what are you two doing here?"

"It's nice to see your fine looking self too Emmett Swan." Sheri grinned as she looked me over from head to foot then tried to look behind me. "Still have that nice cute butt of yours?"

"Wouldn't you like to kn…" I stopped as Jasper cut me off.

"What are you girls doing here?" He asked looking very nervously from them to the door that Alice had left through.

"There was a hurricane and usually you find somewhere safe when that happens." Dawn laughed then leaned up against me. "Why didn't we notice you boys here last night? You could have kept us safe from the storm."

"We um…we're with someone already." Jasper answered and took two steps back from Sheri. She was slowly backing him up to the wall.

"Yeah Sheri, I don't think our girls would like it if they saw you trying to hit on us like this. We're not single anymore." I smiled and stuck out my chest. Dawn saw that as an opportunity to put her hands there. These girls chased us all around the Keys last summer trying to get us to go out with them.

"I sure hope you don't mean those two gusts of giggling air that blew past us in the doorway." Sheri made an annoyed face.

"How would you like to feel this gust of air knock you right on your ass?" Rose shouted. I didn't hear her come through the door but I swear I heard her growl as she ascended the stairs.

Sheri and Dawn froze in their tracks. Dawn removed her hands from my chest and shoved them in her pockets. She backed up until she was standing next to Sheri.

"I think I'm going back to the room to finish that last bottle of wine." Said Dawn and then she quickly ran up the rest of the stairs until she was at the floor above us. "Sheri, come on!"

"Well, we're here if you need anything." Sheri said winking at Jasper. "If things change…"

"I see things in your very near future that are about change if you don't step off!" Alice growled. She was standing right behind Sheri without her realizing it.

Sheri spun around quickly. She saw the look on Alice's face and saw my arms wrapped around Rose.

"Sorry." I shrugged at her, grinned and pulled Rose tighter into me.

Turning with a huff, she stomped up the stairs and left with Dawn. We didn't see them again the rest of our time at the motel.

Alice jumped into Jasper's arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. He placed one arm on her back and one on her bottom as they attacked each other with a love crazed kiss. Jasper even stumbled back a bit until his back was against the wall.

"Yo Dude! Get a room!" I yelled to them and we all laughed once more.

The girls lead us down to the banquet room where I thought I was going to faint. The buffet table from last night was now filled with breakfast food! Cereal, fruit, donuts, Danish, biscuits, jam, eggs, ham, waffles, I was in heaven. I never thought about cooking eggs on the grill!

"Emmett, snap out of it! You're drooling on your shirt!" Rose shook her head smiling. "Too bad I can't cause that strong of a reaction in you."

"Rose, if you put on some edible clothes I bet you could see the _exact_ same reaction from him." Jasper laughed and Alice and Rose joined in.

"What a delicious idea!" I licked my lips as I stared at Rose imagining the possibilities.

"That is so wrong Emmett!" I felt Bella's hand slap my arm at the same time that I heard her voice.

"Dang sis, I was only playing!" I grumbled rubbing my arm.

"Somehow, I am not so sure about that." She said with one eye brow raised. Edward was standing right behind her smiling. His hands were on her hips.

Bella looked up at him and he kissed her forehead. She grabbed his hand and I watched them walk over to the buffet table. Edward held both plates as Bella put food on them. He couldn't stop looking at her. Each time she moved he was right there next to her. She never moved farther than two steps away from him. I wonder if they even realized it. This storm sure brought those two together. It's almost like they've…bonded.

"Come on babe, I thought you were hungry." Rose pulled my hand. "And close your mouth, your jaw is hanging wide open." I followed behind her in a daze until the smell of sausage pulled my mind out of Emmettland.

We all sat down with a big plate of food, juice and coffee. Carlisle and Esme walked over to join us and we listened to our plans for the day.

"The authorities will be riding around to survey everything." Carlisle told us. "In a few hours we should be able to go back to the house and start cleaning up. Tomorrow we'll go to the shop and get things back together over there. It will be a couple of days before we are back to normal. Good thing we didn't have a stronger storm."

"I know you kids only have a few weeks left with us." Esme said. "I sure hope this doesn't scare you from coming down again in the future."

"No way Esme." I said. "You need help next year or any other time you'll be able to count on us." We all nodded in agreement.

"You're always welcome at anytime. Not just to work." She smiled.

We all said thank you then continued eating and talking about things we would like to do before we had to go back to Michigan. As I finished my plate of food I looked at Jasper and noticed he was done too. He looked at me and together we nodded as we stood up.

"Where are you boys going?" Carlisle asked with a smile.

"Round two at the buffet." I smiled back at him. "Hey Jazz, I bet I can…"

"NO! No betting!" Everyone shouted together and we all laughed hysterically.

**A/N: **

**Oh Emmett how you make us smile! **

**I would love to run into Emmett or Jasper alone in a stairwell! **

**Shhh, don't tell Alice or Rose!**

**Feel free to leave your reviews. They are always worth so much : ) **

**Until next time…**

**Ta**


	29. Attack Of The TMI

Disclaimer:

All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. We are so jealous! We promise to put them back in their book when we have finished playing with them.

**A/N: **

**Wow! That was one heck of a hiatus! I had no plans of being away from this story for that long. It was one thing after the other. Sometimes life's a joy and sometimes it tests your patience!! **

**I hope you are all still here…Hello? Hellooo?! **

**Ah, there you are! And I thank you, thank you for being patient and coming back again to read AKU!**

**So, where were we?? Oh Yeah! The storm has passed and the clean up is getting under way. Not much left of the gang's summer in the Keys and I am sure they will be planning to make sure there's plenty to remember it by : ) **

Previously:

_We all said thank you then continued eating and talking about things we would like to do before we had to go back to Michigan. As I finished my plate of food I looked at Jasper and noticed he was done too. He looked at me and together we nodded as we stood up. _

"_Where are you boys going?" Carlisle asked with a smile. _

"_Round two at the buffet." I smiled back at him. "Hey Jazz, I bet I can…"_

"_NO! No betting!" Everyone shouted together and we all laughed hysterically. _

**BPOV**

I was curled up tight next to Edward on the oversized sofa chair. I let my head rest on his chest as his fingers ran through my hair and down my arm, over and over again. This was the most comfortable place in the world. I think I even started to doze off after I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"Bella, would you like anything else?" Edward's voice sounded in my mind.

"Mmm, just you, wearing nothing." I answered rather groggy. "That's all I need."

"Bella? Are you still sleeping?" Edward laughed.

I also heard another chorus of giggling nearby and something that sounded like a low growl followed by a thud and an "OW, Rosie!"

I opened my eyes to see two bright, beautiful emeralds staring at me. Edward chuckled and kissed me on the nose.

"My silly Bella." He said shaking his head then whispered in my ear so no one else could hear, "We'll see what we can do about making your request come true later."

"Ahem…Bella, want to tell us what you were dreaming about?" Emmett asked as he gave me the stink eye.

"I didn't realize I fell asleep. I guess I must be more tired than I thought I was." I smiled shyly avoiding the question. Everyone's eyes were on me.

Alice and Rose were trying to hold back giggles. I actually saw them high 5 each other behind Emmett's back. _I better sit up and get my bearings before I say something else out loud that I don't mean to!_

"I'm sorry, did I miss anything?" I asked.

"Carlisle went with Jack to take a ride around and Esme is helping the ladies in the kitchen. We're all just waiting to find out what we'll be doing." Jasper explained. "You were only out for like a half an hour."

"Yeah, lucky you." Said Rose. "You missed Emmett's _Michelin man in the snow_ breakfast sculpture."

"Oh no, Emmett!" I groaned. "Not the one with the stacked up mini powdered sugar donuts with a sausage link; standing in front of a pile of yellow scrambled eggs!"

"So you've witnessed this interesting talent of your brother's?" Alice smirked.

"More times than I want to admit." I frowned at my brother.

"What? I don't see any of you being artistic?" Emmett boasted.

"Yeah, you should see what he can do with Jello, pink m&m's and …" Jasper started.

"Babe, I could probably come up with something a lot more fun to do with Jello than watching Emmett make obscenities with it." Alice purred.

Jasper's jaw nearly hit the ground as he looked around at the rest of us. "Alice, not in front of everyone." He hissed.

We all burst out laughing and Jasper turned three shades of red even though he was laughing too. Alice hopped up into his arms and kissed him full on the lips causing him to stumble backward and fall onto the couch with her. While we continued to laugh he buried his face in Alice's neck.

"Oh Jazz, you are such a gentleman." Alice complimented him.

"Well, everyone seems quite cheerful. Did I miss a good joke?" Carlisle asked as he looked around at all of us.

"Bella and Jasper were just making us laugh." Said Rose with a giggle. "You really had to be here."

"Okay, well I'm sorry I missed it." He smiled. "With the colorful expressions on both of their faces I'm guessing it was unintentional."

"You could say that." Edward grinned and we all laughing again.

Esme walked up and wrapped her arms around Carlisle. "I missed you." She said sweetly and Carlisle dipped her romantically as he kissed her.

"Now that my boys," winked Esme, as Carlisle stood her back up, "Is the way to charm a lady."

"You better have been paying attention Emmett." Warned Rose.

"That stuff's easy." He smirked. "Watch this."

We watched as Emmett sauntered over to Rose. He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other behind her shoulders. After he wiggled an eyebrow at her, he dipped her low to the floor and removed his hand from her waist sliding it slowly up her side until his fingers pulled her shirt away from her neck. He then quickly dropped his head and began sucking on her neck. A loud gasp escaped Rose's lips. Alice bounced up off the couch and started clapping.

"Oh my, it seems you may already know a thing or two." Esme stifled a giggle.

"Emmett…you better stop now honey." Rose panted breathlessly.

"Yeah, Emmett. Stop now…please." I told him. "You don't want to give me any ideas for my dreams now do you?"

He pulled Rose upright and hugged her tightly into him. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, with all this pent of energy, maybe it's time we head out and get some work done." Carlisle smiled. "Boys I will need you to come with me. Jack has a tree down in his yard. Luckily it didn't hit his house, but it's blocking his front door. We will need some muscles to help move it."

"Oh man Edward," Emmett laughed and shook his head. "Looks like you'll have to stay out of the way and watch then."

Edward stood up quickly with a big smile. I barely had time to see him reach behind my back and pull something from the chair. A small, round pillow shot across like a bullet hitting Emmett in the stomach before I even realized it came from Edward.

"Ugh! Damn!" Emmett bent forward holding his abs as he moaned. "Who the hell fired the cannon ball at me?"

"Dude…I sure hope you learn to catch his throws before baseball season or we're going to be in big trouble!" Jasper looked disapprovingly down at Emmett.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting a fast pitched pillow coming my way." Emmett grumbled.

"That…"said Edward. "Was my slow pitch."

"No shit?" Emmett was stunned and started to laugh. "Thanks for being easy on me then."

Rose helped Emmett straighten himself up while we all joined in laughing together.

"Alright boys, let's get a move on. There is a lot to do." Carlisle told them.

"I'll take the girls with me to tidy up around our house." Esme said. "Stop by and see us when you're finished."

"Well, you heard her guys, let's get this tree taken care of so we can get back to our ladies." Emmett said with enthusiasm. He smiled at Rose sweetly and then followed a laughing Carlisle out the door.

"I'll see you in a little bit." Edward smiled at me. "And, will you do me a favor? Don't be offended but try not to hit your head on anything or get locked in anywhere."

"Very funny Edward." I grumbled but couldn't help myself from melting at his touch.

Edward ran his fingers down the side of my face and across my jaw. He tilted my chin up and kissed me softly. "Until I see you again, be safe."

"I promise." I murmured against his warm lips.

Jasper had just finished hugging Alice as Edward grabbed the back of his shirt and tugged him away from her. They jogged out the door to meet Carlisle and Emmett.

After gathering the little bit of things from the rooms, we meet Esme down at the car. The sun was trying to peek out from the clouds and we were happy to see it. Many people were out sweeping up the sidewalks and streets and we drove slowing back to the house. It was nice to see everyone helping each other. Communities always seem to come together at times when the need is great.

"It looks like everything is still standing." Said Esme. "That is a very good sign."

"Do these hurricanes happen often here Esme?" Alice asked sounding concerned. "I would hate to think you have to do all this clean up on a regular basis."

"Once in a while they do. Sometimes we can go a few years without having a storm." She explained. "We haven't had a very bad storm in quite a long while. Thank goodness."

We pulled up in front of the house and left our bags in the car. On our way to the front door we picked up sticks and small branches that were scattered around. We placed them in a large pile near the curb to be disposed of later. Once we were in the house we walked from room to room to make sure there were no problems. Aside from the mess we had left in the media room when we made our hasty escape, everything else seemed just fine.

"Girls, I will straighten up in here if you want to head out back and pick up the patio and pool area." Esme told us.

"Sure thing Esme." I said. "Let us know if you need us in here."

We went out back and I took the keys to open the small shed by the pool. As I was pulling out the brooms so we could clean up the debris, I felt the presence of some one behind me. Or maybe I should say two someones behind me.

I turned to see Rose and Alice blocking the doorway and my escape with their arms closed in front of them. _Uh oh! I'm stuck! The interrogation was about to begin._

"Hey guys, I have brooms for you." I attempted to act like nothing was up and held two brooms out in front of myself.

"Bella, are you going to talk about your night or do we drag it out of you forcefully?" Rose taunted. "We planned hard to make that happen so we should get some scoop."

"Yeah, spill it. Did my brother curl your toes or what?" Alice began bouncing up and down in anticipation.

"Well..." I proceeded to talk as I cautiously moving toward the door. "We had a very nice quiet night together and…"

"You're not getting out of here until you talk." Rose smiled slyly wagging her eyebrows at me.

"Oh all right!" I gave in and let the words roll off my tongue as fast as a waterfall off a cliff. "He was hot, sexy and completely made me melt in his arms. In fact, things got really sweaty and that just made me even more turned on. He has a gorgeous, toned body that I made sure I put my hands all over! We were like two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly in all the right places. When he slowed up and started worrying about hurting me it drove me crazy but, it just made me fall in love with him that much more! And yes, it was uncomfortable and even hurt a little but it was an absolutely amazing experience and I wouldn't have wanted to share it with anyone but Edward! Oh, and I want to be able to do it again…and again. Well, I would have to make sure Emmett wasn't within a hundred miles of us so we would have no disturbances. Anything else you want to know?"

There! I got it all out in one long breath. At this point my hands were on my hips and my heart was racing but I was putting up a strong defensive front. Alice and Rose were standing in front of me like two alabaster white statues with their mouths hanging open.

_Are you serious? I actually had the upper hand with them?_ I better write this day on my calendar!

"Whoa Bella," Alice snapped out of it. "I have a visual of my brother that I really didn't ever want to have! I know I saw you to being together…but I didn't want to be able to see you two _being_ together, if you know what I mean."

Rose laughed loudly and grabbed Alice by the shoulders. "Face it Alice, your brother is hot, sexy man and Bella gave you a visual to prove it!"

"And your brother acts all nice and shy in front of everyone but his hands sure do like to roam my mountains and valleys! He is NOT shy behind closed doors. It's like riding a bucking bronco at the rodeo." Alice fired back at Rose.

"TMI, TMI!" I shouted not knowing if I should laugh or cover my ears.

"You got the ball rolling Bella." Rose pointed out. "As goofy as your brother seems to be, when he is alone with me he is also very romantic and caring. That is…after he is finished being a wild grizzly bear and tearing all my clothes off so we can stalk each other around the room. He makes the cutest growling sounds when he catches me and throws me down on the bed."

"Ugghh! So that's where those noises were coming from that one night in the house!" Alice and I shouted together.

We all laughed hysterically until we couldn't breathe. After a few minutes we began to calm down and decided we needed to make a new rule. No more using TMI as a weapon!

We shook hands and came together in a big group hug. I have found the two best friends I could ever have on this trip. And I know they felt the same way.

We grabbed our brooms and got busy with cleaning up the patio and pool area. Once all the leaves, sticks and other debris were cleared away and bagged up we used the nets to clean the top of the pool water. The clouds had cleared away for the most part and the warm sunshine seemed to give us energy. It didn't take long to put the chairs back out and together we untied the tables from their secure place along the side of the shed and put them back out where they belonged.

"That looks so much better." Commented Alice. "Once the power is back on we can run the filter to finish cleaning the pool."

"We should go in and help Esme." Said Rose. "The boys will probably be back soon."

"Good idea." I agreed. "Maybe we can fix something for everyone to eat when they get here."

"Come on my sisters!" said Alice cheerfully as she winked and put an arm around each of us.

We walked into the house together and glanced around the kitchen. There was a stack of plates and three large bowls with salad, fruit and bread in them. Another large platter on the counter held lunch meat and cheeses. There was also a jar of pickles, bags of chips, and a mountain of homemade brownies stacked on a plate.

"Hello girls," Esme said as she walked in from the living room. "You're just in time."

"Esme, where did all this food come from?" I asked.

"Oh, the ladies at the motel helped me pack up some things for us to have for lunch. There is just so much food there. You don't want anything to go bad so you just make sure you eat it or share it with others. We loaded it in the cooler in my car early this morning." She smiled. "Now, help me set the dinning room table before our men come back."

We had just finished setting things up and sat down in the living room when we heard the car pull up outside. Esme ran to the door to let them in.

"Hi, honey." Carlisle kissed her but remained standing on the front porch. "We're going to go around back so we can take off our muddy shoes before we come in. Is the patio door unlocked?"

"It should be." Esme answered. "The girls spent the last few hours cleaning everything up back there so please don't track mud all over and ruin all their hard work."

"Alright dear." He smiled and went to join the boys who were already on their way around back.

Esme shut the door, turned and walked over to us. She had a slight grin on her face

"They're up to something."

"Esme?" I was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Carlisle normally would just go around the back of the house and take off his muddy shoes. He came to the front door to make sure we wouldn't be looking for them out back. I know he is up to some…" She stopped abruptly.

We all jumped when we realized the guys had snuck in the house and were standing behind us. They each had a cute little smile and a lovely bouquet of assorted flowers in their hands. Carlisle held a dozen roses for Esme.

"Where did you find…" Esme exclaimed with excitement.

"We helped Ms. Clearwater take the boards off the windows of her flower shop and she was so grateful she let us each have a bouquet." Carlisle explained.

"They are lovely!" She smiled and hugged him tightly.

I didn't see much more that happened around me because once my eyes found Edward's handsome face, I couldn't look away. We met each other halfway across the room and he pulled me into his arms. After a moment he step back and handed me the beautiful bouquet.

"They are no where near as beautiful as you are." He smiled and kissed my lips so very softly then pulled back to look to look at me.

"Edward…" I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him back to my mouth kissing him fiercely until it took my breath away.

When we came up for air, we looked around us and noticed that everyone else had left the room. Edward reached around his neck and grabbed both my hands.

"You're going to be the death of me, Bella." His smile made my heart skip 2 beats.

"I love you Edward." I smiled back. "Now let's go see where everyone else went."

Edward never let go of my hand as we walked into the kitchen. Esme was filling 4 vases with water from a bucket that she had filled and put in the pantry before the storm. We each arranged our flowers and took them into the dining room then placed them on the table to make a wonderful display around the food. We could here the boys talking nonstop in the kitchen and we were waiting for them so we could start to eat. Rose ran out of patience and decided to get their attention in the most shocking way.

She shouted into the kitchen doorway, "Hey, Grizzly Bear, Cowboy and Hot, Sexy man! Come eat, and bring Carlisle with you!"

As the guys walked through the door with eyes as wide as saucers and their mouths open in shock, the girls and I burst into a loud chorus of laughter.

**A/N: **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next will be posted within the normal week's time. Once again, thanks for staying with me and coming back to read. I see there are many new readers also! That is always great to see!! **

**As usual, feel free to leave your reviews. They make me smile : )**


	30. My Vampire

Disclaimer:

All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. We are so jealous! We promise to put them back in their book when we have finished playing with them.

**A/N: **

**Well, I only saw Twilight three times and I plan to see it a few more times before it leaves the theatres. LOL **

**All I can say is…Whoa! Edward on the big screen…Whoa baby! **

**I do have one question though…What happened to one of my favorite lines from the previews?? **

**They cut Emmett's line!!! "This is wrong Edward, she's not one of us." !!!! **

**Ugh!!!!! **

**So…I had to dedicate a little bit of the beginning of this chapter to the Twilight Movie : ) **

**Oh yes…Hope you enjoy the squeeze of lemon!!**

Previously:

_She shouted into the kitchen doorway, "Hey, Grizzly Bear, Cowboy and Hot and Sexy! Come eat, and bring Carlisle with you!"_

_As the guys walked through the door with eyes as wide as saucers and their mouths open in shock, the girls and I burst into a loud chorus of laughter. _

**EMPOV**

I looked around at each of the girls as they clutched their stomachs choking with laughter. Even Esme had joined in. _Did we miss some sort of joke?_

"Um, Rosie baby, you shouldn't call me hot and sexy in front of everyone." I said matter of fact as the laughter died down.

"Um, Emm, I didn't." Rose answered with a giggle and a lift of her eyebrow. "My grizzly bear."

"Oh, well then who is hot and sexy?" I wondered as I looked over at Jasper and Edward. They both started looking everywhere around the room except at the rest of us.

Alice quickly ran over to Jasper and hopped up on his back with a giggle. "Yeehaw!"

Jasper grabbed her legs to hold on to her and spun around in a circle making Alice squeal loudly. When he stopped he realized where he was and he blushed as he looked back down at the floor.

"That means…" I paused shaking my head. "How the hell does this happen? My sister's boyfriend can't be the hot and sexy one. That's me. I'm hot and sexy! A lot of girls have told me that."

"Oh really? Care to tell me _how many_ girls have told you that?" Rose crossed her arms in front of her chest and grimaced at me. _She actually looked pretty hot and sexy at that moment!_

"It's um…been a while Rosie. Definitely no one since I've met you. But what makes _him_ so hot and sexy?" I jabbed my thumb in Edward's direction trying to get out of the hole I was digging myself into.

"Actually that would be Bella's description honey. Not mine." Rose smiled. "Although, I have to admit, those green eyes are pretty dazzling."

"Are you kidding me?" I was shocked. "That's what makes him Hot?"

"Among other things." Bella grinned.

"He's impossibly fast," Alice bragged, "and strong."

"He's my hero." Bella sighed as she stared longingly at Edward who was shifting from one foot to the other slowly making his way over to Bella.

"Well, what if he's not the hero? What if he's…the bad guy?" I pointed out using an accusing tone.

"You know he's kind of pale for someone spending all this time in Florida." Jasper smirked.

Esme and Carlisle were quite amused watching this conversation take place.

"Uh, yeah guys. I'm standing right here!" Edward smiled pulling Bella tightly into his arms.

"Edward," Bella shivered. "Your hands are ice cold."

"Sorry love." He told her. Then rubbed his hands quickly up and down on the legs of his pants before wrapping his arms around her again.

All of a sudden it struck me. "I know what you are!" I shouted.

"Alright, I'll bite. Say it." Edward laughed and shook his head. "Out loud. Say it!"

"Vampire!" I grumbled. "And you're trying to seduce my sister!"

"Are you afraid?" Edward glared at Bella holding her at arms length.

"No." She stared back at him. "I'd rather die, than stay away from you."

Edward grabbed Bella and dipped her back slightly saying. "You don't know how long I've waited for you." Then he trailed his lips down her cheek and began sucking on her neck.

"Ha, ha very funny." I shoved my hands in my pockets and kicked at the floor.

"Those kinds of things just don't exist!" Carlisle laughed.

"They do in our world!" All three girls squealed.

"Oh girls! Have you been reading the EW magazines?" Esme giggled. "That's all they are talking about lately. That new vampire movie that's coming out! I've read the book and I can't wait to see the movie."

"Look what you did now Emmett." Jasper complained as Alice hopped over to the other girls and chatted excitedly with Esme.

Edward was standing with his empty arms extended. He stared at Bella who was talking a mile a minute about the movie. "Bella?"

"I suppose we should start to eat." Carlisle suggested. "They could be a while."

Jasper grabbed Edward's arm and dragged him over to the table. We all started to fix sandwiches as the girls chatted on and on about vampires. I was getting nervous that they were never going to stop.

"I really think they're obsessed." Jasper sighed. "If I don't get to spend anytime with Alice this afternoon Emmett, it's all your fault! You just had to bring up the subject of vampires."

"Alright boys, they have to calm down at some point." Grinned Carlisle. "Although I have to admit, Esme looks as giddy as a school girl talking about that movie. Let them have their fun."

"Maybe it would be alright to suggest that they eat?" Asked Edward. He then attempted to stand up and walk toward Bella.

As fast as I could, I jumped up and leaned across the table shouting, "This is wrong Edward. She's not one of us!"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Edward stared at me.

"I've watched Rose and Bella on the plane ride down here. It's their obsession! When they start talking about this movie, they're never going to stop. You'd be very lucky if they didn't shred and burn you where you stand for trying to interrupt them!" It sent a chill through my body just thinking about it.

"Yeah man, it's not safe." Jasper nodded in agreement.

"This is absurd." Edward laughed as he sat back down.

It wasn't too much longer before the girls sat down to join us. It seemed they got it out of their systems…for now. I scooted my chair up next to Rosalie's and placed my hand on her knee. The fact that she reached down and slid my hand up to let it rest at the top of her thigh, let me know I was not in trouble.

"Rosie, if I had fangs would you let me bite your neck?" I asked with pleading eyes.

"Emmett you idiot, our vampires don't have fangs! Their teeth are razor sharp and they don't even feed on humans, just animals. It's really rather sexy if you think about it." laughed Rose. "You should read the book dear."

"I don't need to read a book to show you sexy." I growled as I pulled her neck to my mouth.

"Boy! You better eat something because I don't plan on being your lunch!" Rose scolded as she pushed me back. "Now behave."

"Okay." I popped out my bottom lip and then whispered in her ear. "I would much rather save you for dessert."

This brought a cute smile to her face as we joined in the conversations with the rest of the table. Everyone seemed very happy. I was really going to miss this. What a great summer it has been so far.

**BPOV**

My thoughts kept drifting back to Emmett's accusation. _Edward…a vampire_. Even if he was, it would never scare me. My brother can come up with some of the craziest ideas sometimes!

"As much fun as we have been having, we really need to get back to work. The power is not on yet and we won't have much daylight left if we keep sitting here." Carlisle advised us.

"Emmett can help me start on the upstairs shutters Carlisle." Jasper suggested.

"Rose, do you want to help me sweep off the balconies?" Alice asked.

"Sure, I'll grab the brooms." Rose offered.

"I can help you with the downstairs shutters." Esme told Carlisle, giving him a little wink that didn't go unnoticed by the rest of us.

"I guess we're on kitchen clean up my love." Edward smiled at me.

Everyone dispersed to get to their duties and make the most of the daylight. As I gathered the plates and utensils from lunch, I couldn't help but glance at Edward every chance I got. Everything about him just drew me in; his looks, his voice, his smell. It was intoxicating.

"Bella, are you okay?" He had stopped to stare at me and I didn't even notice.

"Sure, sure…I was just thinking." I blushed and headed toward the kitchen with the dirty dishes.

I set everything in the sink and as I turned to go back into the dining room to get the left over food, I smacked right into a wall full of muscles, warmth and musky smelling deliciousness.

I felt Edward's arms wrapped tightly around me. "Bella, are you sure you're okay? You seem a million miles away and I don't like when you're that far from me even if it's only in thought. It makes me anxious."

"I'm sorry Edward." I apologized. "It's not a bad thing. I'm just thinking about how lucky I am to have found someone like you. I don't want anything to change when we go home. I don't want you to leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere." Edward said as he lifted my chin and looked into my eyes. "I meant it when I said, I've waited a long time to find someone like you, and I will be near you as long as you want me to be."

"A pack of wolves couldn't tear me away from you." I felt myself getting lost in the emerald green pools of his eyes as I stretched up on my toes to press my lips softly to his.

"My Bella…" Edward whispered against my slightly opened mouth as his hands grabbed my hips and lifted me up to sit on the counter.

My favorite crooked smile graced his face as he stared longingly at me. With a raise of an eyebrow, I kicked out both legs and wrapped them around him pulling him into me. My fingers made quick work of weaving themselves through his sexy, disheveled, bronze hair and I pressed my forehead to his.

"My hot and sexy Edward…" I purred, completely forgetting where I was, as my heart pounded loudly in my ears, and I trembled all over. I just knew everyone else was outside and would be there for at least a little while.

I could no longer hold back. My mouth crashed hard into his maybe a little too hard. I let out a soft moan when Edward's tongue slid across my lips. Then he pulled back and looked at me.

"Love, you must have cut your lip on my teeth. It's bleeding." He smirked.

"I didn't even notice." I said as I lifted my finger to touch my lip. "Is it bad?"

"Oh, I think I can make it better." He answered with a sly grin.

Before I had a chance to ask how, I felt Edward's tongue glide smoothly over my lower lip and then he sucked it gently into his mouth. I am glad I was sitting down because I was sure my legs would have given out at that point. Our foreheads rested once again pressed to each other.

"All better." His crooked grin greeted me as I glanced at him under heavy lidded eyes.

I asked, "Are you sure you're not a vampire?"

He laughed as he replied, "Bella, I'll be anything you want me to be."

"Well then, be quiet and just kiss me." I told him.

His hands slid down my back and pulled me to the very edge of the counter. He kissed my forehead, my nose, my lips, my chin, and then made his way down my neck. Once he reached the sensitive spot on my collar bone, I realized I was almost lying down on the counter. I squeezed my legs around him and I felt the extent of his excitement where our bodies met. This caused a heat to radiate through every inch of me.

I tightened my fingers in his hair when his teeth graze along my neck. Then he began licking, sucking and nibbling his way back up causing sensations that I never wanted to stop.

"Please…don't stop." I mumbled.

His lips found mine and we opened our mouths to each other without any hesitation. Our tongues were dancing and stroking each other with uncontrolled passion. Edward's hands slid up the back of my t-shirt as he pulled me back up to a sitting position. I just couldn't get enough of his kisses and I hungrily attacked every inch of his mouth. I felt one of his hands under my bottom as he lifted me off the counter and into his arms. I knew we were moving but I never pulled away from his mouth or even tried to look and see where he was taking me.

I heard the sound of a door closing and sensed everything was dark. I then felt a wall behind my back. Edward was pressing his body against mine and his hands moved slowly up my sides. As they went higher I felt his thumbs brush over the sensitive swells of my chest.

"Mmm…" I gasped. I ground my hips against him then let my legs drop down until I was standing up still pressed between him and the wall.

It was a frenzy of hands, as I tugged his shirt out from his pants so I could slide my fingers over his bare back. He was doing the same but his fingers lightly felt their way up my stomach until they were slipping under the lace of my bra. When he cupped me with his hands I completely stopped breathing. His lips left mine so we could get some air.

"Bella?" He groaned taking heavy breaths.

"Edward, I want you." I panted pulling up the front of his shirt and turning us around so he was the one against the wall.

I placed kisses all over his chest stopping to lick his two most sensitive spots. His hands became tangled in my hair when I started my descent of kisses down his stomach. I tugged at the front of his pants undoing his belt and releasing the button on his jeans. Then I heard his gasp and felt his hand over mine as I tried to pull his zipper down.

"Bella, I want you too." Edward groaned. "I just can't be with you the way I want to in a kitchen pantry my love."

"We're in the pantry?" I giggled. "Well if we are quick there is at least something we can do to tide things over until later."

The look on his face was absolute adoration. There was nothing I wanted more than to please him, right here, right now. I moved my fingers down from under his and took down his zipper with them. Then I quickly released the zipper on my own pants and placed his hand on my stomach. His eyes opened wide as my hand slipped into the waistband of his boxers. He hissed as he felt me take hold of his hard length and my reaction was quite the same as his hand slid down into the wetness between my legs.

My knees almost gave out and Edward wrapped his other arm around my waist holding me close to him. Our mouths found each other and we kissed with unending passion as we stroked and pleased each other all the way until we released at the same time. At that point we had to deepen our kiss just to stifle the sounds of pleasure escaping our lips. I finally rested my head on Edward's chest, feeling him kiss the top of my head.

"You are amazing and beautiful." He sighed.

"And you are definitely hot and sexy." I laughed. We found a towel to wipe off with and straightened our hair the best we could.

"I need to run upstairs and put on something drier." Edward smiled. "Will you be okay to finish straightening on your own until I get back?"

"No problem." I smiled and kissed him sweetly. "Just hurry up."

"I'll use my vampire speed." He laughed and was out the door so fast I wasn't sure if he was kidding or not.

I had brought all of the food back into the kitchen and wiped off the dining room table before Edward returned. He helped me cover everything up and quickly put it into the still cool refrigerator. We were even sitting at the kitchen table talking for ten minutes before everyone else started returning from finishing up their tasks.

"Hey, you guys must have had the easiest job. What have you been doing, just sitting here the whole time?" Rose asked.

"Not exactly," Edward admitted and winked at me. "We spent some time fixing things in the pantry too."

"Oh well, as long as you weren't being lazing around while we did all the work, then I guess its okay." Emmett said as he plopped himself down into a chair.

"Yeah, all that clean up turned out to be quite a workout." I smiled.

Carlisle and Esme joined us in the kitchen just as the electricity flickered on.

"YEAH!" We all cheered together.

"Now that's what you call an entrance!" Esme giggled.

**A/N:**

**I originally had no plans for Edward and Bella's little escape. It just kind of happened as I was writing. LOL **

**Hope you liked the read**

**And hope you all had a very nice Thanksgiving!**

**I will be thankful for any and all of your reviews!! Ta~**


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